The concept of war has been present in human civilisation for as far back as history stretches. From conflicts that happened centuries ago, to more recent ones, there are a myriad of a different reasons humans have gone to war. In fact there’s really only one constant each time armies are gathered to fight against an enemy, real or imagined, and that is that man has knowingly and willingly put the lives of other humans on the line.
What do I mean by that? Simply and topically, considering Remembrance Sunday has just passed, we do not learn. The very essence of Remembrance Sunday is to remember the individuals who died while at war: to remember and learn. Is there any point in remembering the dead at all if we do not learn from our past mistakes?
The day becomes worth very little if we do not look at the pain and hurt that was inflicted on both soldiers and civilians and take away a valuable lesson of the complete futility of war.