the War to End all Wars

We went to Lincoln Center last night to see War Horse…great! I was first introduced to the book when Don and I were in England and I met an old college friend Claire. She and her husband were heading to London to see the new play War Horse. I picked up the book and though it was a little sappy at times, I found it to be an enjoyable read. I gave it to several of my grand nephews. 

The booklet they made available at Lincoln Center gave some great information about WW I, the horses used during the war as well as information about the puppet masters who brought the horses to life on stage.  The summary included a few sentences that caused me to pause and think.  WWI was referred to the War to End all Wars and believing that the bloodiest violence the world had ever experienced would truly put an end to war. Knowing, believing that future generations would not suffer that kind of horror brought them comfort.  But as we all know another major war was fast on the heels of the War to End All Wars.  Comfort, if any was short lived.

Have we grown to accustom to war?  Wikipedia (ok it’s the quickest if not the most reliable source) lists more than 120 wars around the globe between WWII and 1989, which of course doesn’t include the current Arab Uprisings or recent wars between Arabs and Israelis.  Some of these wars were of major consequence to multiple nations and other civil wars violating nationals, but causing harm nonetheless.   

But are we immune to the damage of war because unlike the two major world wars, every family is not directly impacted. Our volunteer army lets many of us off the hook. I am DEFINATELY not advocating a draft. I am simply saying that many of us may have been living in a bubble when it comes to the world's realities. Only when it hits us in our gas tanks do we feel it.  But what would cause us to ever believe that a war would be the one that ends all wars?