I recently read the book “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Maria Remarque. While reading, I came across a question.
What are the consequences of war?
The most obvious result of war is the amount of deaths of soldiers and civilians. For example, there were probably around 70 million to 80 million deaths in World War II, making it the deadliest conflict in history. Another consequence is the war effort which affects all aspects in a country during wartime.
One consequence is the mental and physical strain that those affected by the war have to go through. Soldiers, experiencing battle first-hand, are susceptible to “shell-shock” like in World War One, later known as PTSD like in the Vietnam War. Even civilians, whose homes have become battlegrounds, are displaced and have to restart their lives.
When I started to think about these consquences, along with learning more about it in school, I learned that war is complex. People tend to forget that there are real human beings, with hopes and dreams, being affected by war. We tend to blur groups of people together and forget about the true effects war can have on society. 100,000 deaths isn’t just a group of people gone by some battle in some war, instead it’s 100,000 separate people, all with their own lives and families.
War is disturbing to talk about; it makes you uncomfortable. But, it’s something we need to talk about. People need to have conversations about war, even if it scares us. War affects REAL people, REAL lives along with their homes, their children and their families. The battles soldiers fight have consequences, both for the people they’re fighting for and to the people they’re fighting against.
War, although it may seem necessary at times, has its repercussions. I definitely don’t think war will end anytime soon since humans naturally have that evil element inside them. I think opening up discussions about war can help us understand how war affects people. Opening up these discussions can even influence our politicians, the ones who decide to start wars in the first place. Talking about war can also help us give recognition to those who deserve it, those who fought in battle or even those who suffered losses from war. Through discussion we can all remember that side of history and understand it a little better.
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