Let's talk about war.
Crisis Response Network
Crisis Response Network exists to alleviate the suffering of and foster resilience in people from diverse backgrounds.
Let’s talk about another elephant in the room… War
A friend of a friend of mine lives in Ukraine. On Monday 6 February, when the world woke up to the devastating news about the Turkey/Syria earthquakes, he shared a thought on social media which resonated with me. Maybe I had missed similar thoughts to the one he shared, or maybe this is also one of those ‘elephant in the room’ topics which we are acutely aware of but avoid.?
Juliy Morozov said: “When I look at the pictures from Turkey and Syria, where humanity has once again been absolutely helpless in the face of the elements, it angers me. We, living on this small planet, should put a resource in the solidarity of helping those affected by this...into more thoughtful construction, in [practising and demonstrating to the next generation] a responsible attitude to the environment, in research that would reduce the risk of thousands of deaths from disasters which we cannot stop. But we join the arms race because some countries believe that rockets and bombs can solve the issues in the 21st century.”?
He goes on to share how millions of dollars are spent to produce and trade weapons, which are then burned in explosions, and used to demolish cities. I would argue these weapons also destroy livelihoods, families, nations, people groups, peace, and life. Wonderful people – who are created in God’s image, add value, and create beautiful and meaningful contributions to society – are no more.???
But how many millions are we actually talking about? Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) shared that the total international trade in arms by March 2021 was worth $100bn per year.? The Defence Industry think tank said that major weapon sales in the 5 years leading up to 2017 were estimated to be 10% higher than the previous term. Amnesty International has warned that the more weapons that are supplied, the more they risk being used – a warning that has proven to be true.?
From 1900 until the beginning of 2022, it was estimated that over 187 million people lost their lives due to war. At no time in the history of man has there been more wars, death, widows, orphans, displacement, humanitarian crises, and unresolved trauma due to war. War and its consequences have not achieved peace but have drained the world of money and brainpower. In 1948 Charles Eagleton remarked, “…that no more stupid, brutal, wasteful or unfair method could ever have been imagined for [achieving peace], but this does not alter the situation.”
Some will argue that winning a war will make it worthwhile. Morozov ends his post by saying that even if a war is won, instead of going forward and developing, energy and money will be spent on rehabilitating, licking wounds, and surviving.?
So instead of spending money on war, let’s imagine that we could invest those funds in establishing communities that place a high value on human capital, provide sound business environments, develop responsible attitudes that honour integrity, support research, and implement thoughtful construction. We could build up instead of breakdown. We have been given the mandate to take care of the earth and all its creatures for all generations. Why have we accepted war as a means to remedy wrongs or settle disputes? The elephant will not go away unless we start to address the issues little by little, one conversation at a time, like our friend Juliy Morozov did.?
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References:
Juliy Morozov https://shelter-plus.com/whoweare/eng