The Quiet Voices of Anti War: Revisited
I revisit my opinions on war in a much different global and political climate. Check out my previous opinion here.
War scares me. As I sit here writing this, there are people in Ukraine ravaged by the actions of others. They have nowhere to call home anymore all because of actions outside of their control. How is that fair? Why do I get to sit here working toward my college education while some are struggling to get their basic human needs met.
Less than a year ago I wrote a piece reflecting on the antiwar perspective. I had never really considered my perspective on war. I was born in the midst of the war in Afghanistan. My education has taught me that war brought freedom and change; that war was necessary to make things happen. But I almost feel we have outgrown war. It seems that civilized conversations and negotiating is much more appropriate.
I also feel that I should mention my father is the stereotypical war historian. He is the author of 3 books, all on different wars. So being raised in that environment always had me thinking about war in a historical sense, which left little room to consider whether the war should have happened in the first place. I simply knew that it did and viewed it as a thing that would never happen now. Oh, how my opinions have changed.
Sorry, Dad. I think I am antiwar. Why lose lives when we can talk through things? Though I recognize that I sit from a privileged position. I am sitting in a locked dorm on a gated college campus. It is so easy for me to look at foreign entanglements and say that shouldn't happen, or to look at the gas prices and wish the war away. That luxury is not available to the people of Ukraine.
Still, I feel that antiwar voices are quiet. They are growing louder with Ukraine, but I feel that the noise is not loud enough. Even our stops in trade makes a statement and broadcasts a clear opinion. What if this leads to war on our homefront?
The antiwar voices seem stale. Even one of their main websites seems largely unchanged from the creation of internet itself. It almost feels that the same antiwar voices from the 60’s are those running the website.
Maybe this is the conflict the world needs to raise the antiwar voices, to update the website. War is not only a part of our history; if we are not careful it will be a part of our future.
But what exactly does antiwar mean? According to antiwar.com, it is outright opposition to imperialism, which is “policy, practice, or advocacy of extending the power and dominion of a nation especially by direct territorial acquisitions or by gaining indirect control over the political or economic life of other areas.” The antiwar website firmly believes that “at its core, that nature includes an ever increasing threat to individual liberty and the centralization of political power.” War does not just cause economic and physical threats, it also threatens the very way we live our lives in the context of our country.
I have now arrived at a similar conclusion on my other blog. Antiwar voices are simply not newsworthy enough. The closest we have gotten is the 4,500 antiwar protesters that were arrested in Russia on March 6th. How strange is it that war has to happen for the antiwar voices to be heard?
Now, we are left to hope, donate, and support those that are affected by this war and make noise, but not violence. Lastly, I hope that antiwar makes their website look way, way better.
