News of the ongoing war in Ukraine has been broadcasted for months. Scenes of devastation lives lost and people fleeing fill our television screens and newspapers. Protests and uprisings in many countries add to the misery of the people in many countries. In addition, a few nations are also into testing of nuclear weapons, strategizing and holding missile defence drills. Looking at all these scenes makes me ponder: Why do nations rage? Why do people plot against one another?
The first world war (WWI) took place from 1914-1918. The second world war (WWII) lasted from 1939-1945. Besides these two world wars, we read of a few others that took place in the 21st century, like the Second Congo War, the Syrian Civil War, the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War (2001).
It was reported recently that for the first time, North Korea’s ballistic missile flew over Japanese territory. The Japanese government activated their alert system and urged the people to shelter from falling debris. I can imagine the fear and chaos.
Then, there is the threat of nuclear weapons being used in the ongoing Ukraine War with Russia. Has man forgotten the catastrophe caused by the past wars and the resources needed to rebuild after that?
Closer to home, our souls too seem to be at war. We are faced with the rage of political parties at a national level, and warring parties in our workplaces or homes. We do not seem to be able to do the right thing that we know we should be doing. Differing ideas put us at loggerheads with one another. The green-eyed monster that tempts and provokes us in our places of work causes us to gossip and backstab. And the war starts in the office, making it hard to achieve good workflow. Even within the homes, sometimes tempers flare too easily and destroy the peace. Harsh words are lashed out and sometimes we succumb to doing things which make us regret later. Why do our souls rage?
As we see the devastation of wars, let us remember that we can always choose peace. It comes with a price - the costly price of humility, teachability and accountability. World peace is in the hand of world leaders. National peace is in the hands of our national leaders. Domestic peace in our workplace or homes is in our hands. Will we choose peace?
Mei Wong | 07 Oct 2022
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