War Is Pointless

War Is Pointless
Wouldn't it be horrific, to awake at dawn in your hajib, to hear those Air Force Jets scream past your neighbourhood? Wouldn't it be horrific, to smell the burning shrapnel detonated from those who have torn your country apart. Wouldn't it be horrific to think of the 99,700 human beings, including your friends and family, now a bunch of bodies piled high? Wouldn't it be horrific to look at fear on your sons' pain-stricken face, after his mother is one of five-hundred daily civilian casualties? Wouldn't it be horrific to hide under the table most of the day hidden? But you're never safe with the foreign soldiers raging down the streets abusing and creating conflict with everyone in their sight. Not safe with bombs shattering your eardrums and surrounding environment. Not safe with the foreign invaders killing civilian by civilian. Always contemplating whether you could be the next casualty. This is not how a human being should live life. Unfortunately, this is a truthful story from one of the many war torn countries on earth.
Most of us realise what war is. But today I have come to you, to provide you with an insight into war and its devastating effects. War is a state open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations, it has evoked a loss of millions of lives over the past 200 years, and thus war is a pointless act of conflict.
In recent times we have experienced the devastation of the death of our own Australian soldiers fighting an un-winnable war. Firstly, let me say that, death is the biggest and worst outcome of war. Over 203 million poor innocent souls have fought and died. But for what? What are the true outcomes of war? Absolutely nothing! It tears apart families. It kills innocent children. It creates world chaos and fear. But, is this huge loss of life necessary? These humans have died like animals, in a pointless conflict for no reason what so ever. In the modern days, countries fight over three main things such as, Resources and Money. These are not worth a single human life, let alone millions of lives die for these pointless reasons.
Secondly, in recent wars around the globe, children have been the victims of this pointless crime. Statistics have shown that in Iraq, nine out of ten children die before the age of twelve. In the novel 'Tomorrow when the war began', Lee, a teenage boy was shot for no reason. The enemy could have easily apprehended him; instead he was shot in a bid to kill him for no apparent reason. The youth of today are recognized as the world's future. It is simple to say that no youth equals no future. Herbert Hoover Stated, 'Older men declare war, but it is the youth who fight and die!' Why should these soldiers have to fight today's pointless wars? We must consider ourselves lucky, in Australia. As we, the youth, have never confronted a horrible conflict before such as the Afghanistan and Iraq war. Just imagine right now, what it would be like to be an Iraqi at your age. You could have died in a suicide bombing. You could have been taken into the Taliban army. In this whole room only three of us would have survived the war so far. The world's future, turned into a statistic because of a pointless conflict.
But wait a minute! What about those soldiers actually sent to fight the wars? I am not only speaking for the civilians killed from these wars. But I am speaking for the ones who have to kill for their government. President Bush claimed in 2003 that the Iraqi war had ended. Ever since the beginning of the war statistics have shown that over of 4,350 Australians and Americans have been killed in Iraq. Ninety-seven percent of these soldiers were killed after President Bush announced that the war had ended. We are all human beings, why are these countless wars not considered as murder? For example, in the novel 'Tomorrow when the war began', Ellie the main character kills three foreign soldiers with a lawn mower explosion. A day or two later Ellie realises that those three soldiers are real people, human beings. She then feels guilty and ashamed for the incident. That example can show us that these soldiers are normal people like you and me. They have interesting lives. They have families. They are human beings! There is no reason for them to be victimised for these pointless wars.
Lastly, I want to let you know that this horrible conflict can be easily prevented, with a simple negotiation to keep peace between two opposing sides. Eleanor Roosevelt stated, 'We have to face the fact that either all of us are going to die together or we are going to learn to live together and if we are to live together we have to talk'. Only a mass murderer would ignore a simple conversation and make the thoughtless decision to start a war. We have developed a so called 'successful democracy'. This 'fair democracy' puts the government in the position to make the decisions. This means that the government are the ones who decide who lives and who they let die. Though the government are misusing this power and acting like incompetent fools. The decision to declare war can put a scar on their countrymen forever. Ronald Reagan explained that 'History teaches us that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap'. Modern country's such as Australia and America are a democracy. We need to hear the opinions of the soldiers, who have experienced the mass of bloodshed. We need to listen to the opinions of the human beings who have supposably murdered for their so called 'Government'. If this is a democracy than what do the civilians in those third world countries experience? Iraq, 99,721 deaths. Afghanistan, 602 deaths. Gaza 1,302 deaths. What is the reason you ask? Resources, Religion, Imperialism, Racism, Nationalism and of course Money, aspirations that governments all around the world treasure more, than a human life.
For example in the novel, 'Tomorrow when the war began' Corries radio picked up an emergency broadcast station. The message was that the invading country warned the Americans not to get involved or else there would be bloodshed.This shows that America hesitated to make conversation with the enemy. As Americas first instinct was to attack the invading enemy. Doing what they believe is right, by killing human beings. This fictional incident could have been resolved by simple negotiation, thus saving lives.
War has had many devastating effects on the world so far. War has killed 203 million people, including innocent soldiers, children and civilians. The governments are the ones who will not prevent it, but provoke it. As you may gather, war is a murderous crime committed by the world. Albert Einstein stated, 'I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones'. If we don't put an end to it soon, we will surely endure world domination.
John F. Kennedy agreed, 'Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind'. By James Spruce