peace is crucial
amidst violence -
“War and the large military establishments are the greatest sources of violence in the world . . . These vast powerful organizations exist solely to kill human beings.”
“Most of us have been conditioned
to regard military combat as exciting
and glamorous - an opportunity for
men to prove their competence
and courage.”
"Since armies are legal, we feel that war is acceptable; in general, nobody feels that war is criminal or that accepting it is criminal attitude. In fact, we have been brainwashed. War is neither glamorous nor attractive. It is monstrous. Its very nature is one of tragedy and suffering."
"War is Like a fire in the human
community, one, whose fuel is living
beings . . . war also strongly resembles
a fire in the way it spreads. if one area gets weak, the commanding officer
sends in reinforcements."
"This is throwing live people into a fire. But because we have been brainwashed to think this way, we do not consider the suffering of individual soldiers. No soldiers want to be wounded or die. None of his loved ones wants any harm to come to him. If one soldier is killed, or maimed for life, at least another five or ten people - his relatives and friends - suffer as well."
"Frankly as a child, I too was attracted to the military. Their uniform looked so smart and beautiful. But that is exactly how the seduction begins . . . If we adults were not so fascinated by war, we could clearly see that to allow our children to become habituated to war games is extremely unfortunate. Some former soldiers have told me that when they shot their first person they felt uncomfortable, but as they continued to kill, it began to feel quite normal. In time, we can get used to anything," ("The Reality of War").
"Frankly as a child, I too was attracted to the military. Their uniform looked so smart and beautiful. But that is exactly how the seduction begins . . . If we adults were not so fascinated by war, we could clearly see that to allow our children to become habituated to war games is extremely unfortunate. Some former soldiers have told me that when they shot their first person they felt uncomfortable, but as they continued to kill, it began to feel quite normal. In time, we can get used to anything," ("The Reality of War").