The Price of Conflict

War, they say, is not beans or child’s play. It is not something someone can think of one day and execute the next. It takes careful planning, strategies, and many other considerations before it comes into reality, because its effects and aftermath can linger with individuals or nations for years, even decades.

Every individual or organisation that has witnessed war can never pray to experience it again. There is a saying in my locality that anyone who has seen where thunder strikes will never accuse or blame God for thunder.
Those who witnessed wars such as the Somme and the Holocaust will never wish to see another. No matter how powerful a nation is, when it comes to war, everyone feels the impact. Lives are lost, and properties are destroyed.

At times, I ask myself: Why is there war in the first place? Some people argue that without war, there can be no peace. However, I believe that it is the powerful who cause wars and benefit the most from them, while the common man bears the consequences and suffers the aftermath. The rich will never allow their children to wield guns or carry ammunition. So why should we embrace war when it does not favour the masses?
We truly need to come together to achieve desirable results and shun war at all costs.

This topic is deep, and I can say that the new generation does not know much about history and often does not care to ask questions. War is not something a nation can simply dabble in. It goes beyond wielding guns and ammunition; it requires a mindset and a readiness to die. No matter how strong a nation is, when it fights another, there will always be casualties on both sides.

The difference between the older generation and the newer one is wide. Today, there are more sophisticated weapons used in warfare, as we have witnessed. For instance, in Nigeria recently, the United States reportedly bombed certain parts of the northern region remotely. They did not engage in physical combat with the bandits. Once intelligence revealed their location, they carried out the attack.

Many factors cause war, most of which are politically motivated, with nations showing power and flexing their muscles. The older generation tends to be more patriotic, believing that without war, peace is not guaranteed, unlike the younger generation.