WWI 💣

 World War I.

    World War I was such a mess. Honestly, when you sit back and look at it, it seemed like a massive waste of life. A lot of fighting, just to accomplish absolutely nothing in the long run.

    The principle of the entire battle was to honour arrangements, and show a sign of strength to Europe and the whole world. The idea that by uniting together, each country would be able to take a stance on where they stand in principle. Plus, most European countries believed that their battle for Europe also meant Africa was up for grabs. 

    War in of itself is mostly a catastrophic waste of life. However, the more human life advances, the greater the weapons become. A bit of a hot take, however, I do believe that some war is necessary. Some battles cannot be avoided. Some conflicts cannot be resolved peacefully. The truth is that mankind is a taker, with no limits in sight. Some men are worse than others, no doubt.

    Power often creates a vacuum effect. Once power has been declared, the rest of the world quickly gets sucked up. The idea that we can all just get along and have equal shares is an absolute fairy tale. Seriously, if one truly believes in equality, they clearly do not live in the real world. And so be it. Sometimes, in order to build a better world, one must be willing to live in the real one first. We as humans must make the best of what we have, in order to attempt to build something better. This is the crucial mistake of which simple-minded individuals cannot wrap their heads around.

    It is said that a madman would burn his city/country down, in order to simply rule over the ashes. Truth be told, most of the members leading the assault in World War I were madman, I suppose. I wish not to talk poorly about those who sacrificed themselves in order to obtain freedom, for if it were not for their sacrifice I may not be here today. However, in hindsight, the battles were far from ideal. Especially Italy, where their army and attacks were simply useless. Hundreds of thousands of Italian men died fighting for their country, resulting in a zero-sum game.

    Overall, there is much about World War I that we are not informed on. The details do not all add up. I suspect, much like the rest of history, there were other motivating factors which were at play. The general versions of history which we are taught tend to be nothing more than watered down versions. As famously quoted, history is nothing more than a group of lies we all agree upon. 

    What pains me the most about World War I is the lie that our brothers around the globe fought for the last war ever. It was advertised as an opportunity to be the war to end all wars. Having the ability to look back in hindsight, that was a blatant lie. The effects of World War I did nothing but trigger the seeds of conflict sown out for World War II. The direct results of catastrophe did nothing but catapult nations at each others throats, setting the stage for a massive conflict which still precedes today. The Middle East has never been more destabilized than it is today, all thanks to the efforts created from the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, and the unjustified division of the Middle East between France and Britain.

    Men seek power, plain and simple. They push, fight, and battle every single day to become bigger and better- both as individuals and leaders. The men who control the most of the world are no different. If anything, I would argue that those who own countries have an undying urge to increase their powers. Look at today’s example with the United States of China. Both great nations, both driven by individuals who will stop at nothing to expand their empires. A tale as old as time, no doubt.

    The reality is, the world is now up for grabs. Whether one likes it or not- Globalization is imminent. However, having said that, there are still multiple scenarios how it could all play out. The future we currently find ourselves in is not written in stone just yet. There are multiple scenarios which can still play out. Regardless, the parallels between today and World War I are staggering. The implications of our every actions today directly mirror those of 1914. The ticking time bomb which is Europe, the Middle East and even North America, is ready to explode. We have found ourselves back to square one, all over again.

    History repeats itself. The truth of the matter is, we do not study it well enough. We are taught to simply glaze over it, paying little to no attention to our past. We believe that the only thing which matters is the future, and that we need not look behind us. I respectfully disagree. How can one know where we are heading, without first seeing how far we’ve come? The ability to understand past mistakes gives us the opportunity to avoid them moving forward. And make no mistake, World War I is a mistake I very much wish to avoid.

    Perhaps one day, man will learn from his failures. Perhaps we will all become versed in the errors of our ways, leading up to the inevitable death of millions around the globe. However I won’t hold my breath. The truth of the matter is, men crave conflict. Plain and simple. Men crave a higher purpose, than sitting around as slaves. The opportunity to die out on the battlefield for a greater cause has always been the calling of man. It has always been the true natural of humans.

No matter how much we try to change the nature of the animal-

the beast shall always come forth in due time.

        Glory Be,

                    Amen.