CONSEQUENCES
OF WAR
‘War’ is defined as a situation in which two or more
countries or groups of people fight against each other over a period of time.
In olden times, especially when there were no nuclear weapons
to use, the consequences of war were also terrible but not so terrible as they emerged
to be after the dropping of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan on August
6 1945 at 8.15 AM. The second bomb was
dropped on Nagasaki on August 9 at 11.02 AM.
By the end 0f 1945, the aforesaid bombing had killed an
estimated 140,000 people in Hiroshima, and a further 74, 000 in Nagasaki.
In the years that followed, many of the survivors had to face
leukemia, cancer, or other terrible consequences from the radiation.
Now, more often than not, resolution of disputes is preferred
through dialogue, not through wars.
Large scale death and destruction are the minimum consequences
of war. To these may be added long-term physical and psychological harm to children
and adults, as also reduction in material and human capital.
A German proverb says: “A great war leaves the country with
three armies --- an army of cripples, an army of mourners, and an army of
thieves.” The French military officer and statesman Napoleon Bonaparte
(1769-1821) considered war the as business of barbarians.
The 3rd U.S.President Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
believed :”War is an instrument entirely inefficient toward redressing wrong;
and multiplies, instead of indemnifying losses.”
Finally, this short but most effective quote: “ The more you
sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.”
********
G.R.Kanwal
3rd October 2024
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