There’s a very famous poem by Wilfred Owen titled ‘Dulce et Decorum est’ which describes a typical war scene. It gives a detailed account of the conditions of the soldiers, of the true face of patriotism. The poem ends at a very powerful note:
“My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.”
The literal translation of the last few words is, ‘it is sweet and right to die for your country.’ While it may come as a shock to many of us, the poet beautifully describes the glory associated with dying for one’s country as nothing but a lie, for there is nothing glorious about war.
The world has become a very dangerous place; war is something that is always going on. War is something everyone always seems prepared for. In a country like Pakistan, where people cannot express their love for another person openly, the concept of war is not only welcome but is glorified beyond measure.
When people celebrate war, they fail to understand that they are celebrating death, murder and violations of human rights. One side’s victory is another side’s defeat. Even the victorious side ends up losing hundreds of lives. Would anyone ever celebrate 9/11? Would anyone ever celebrate a loved one’s death anniversary? Why, then, do we celebrate war?
War is a powerful tool. It benefits only a few, but requires participation from thousands. The only way this participation can be achieved is by the glorification of war. This is done in two ways; by declaring sacrificing your life for your country as a heroic act and by making use of religion to glorify the act of dying for your country. Social and religious factors then encourage the masses to become an active part of a war that never was meant to be theirs.
Religion, to encourage its growth and expansion, associates several rewards for people who die for their country or those who die in the name of religion. Coupled with the glory that society attaches to war, this then becomes a deadly combination. These people then become pawns being controlled by the powerful who actually benefit from war.
While celebrating our heroes is a right that they have truly earned, war is something that should never be celebrated. Celebrating war means celebrating the mass murder of hundreds of thousands of people which is something that can never be justified, no matter what the circumstances.