99 Red Balloons

War. Just the word is frightening and ominous. No one has ever gotten involved in a war and has said “We are not justified” while ready to die for a cause. However, governments have gone to the extreme in funding weapon research while medical institutions and cures suffer. War is such a terrible thing, and yet it is promoted sociality, from video games to romanticized novels. Religions evolve around it. Why does war hold such fascination for those who have been fortunate enough not to experience it? However, we have our own hidden war. The Iraqi occupation, while not formally a war, has been shifted from the public attention, just as our conflict in Afghanistan. What is the real purpose? Control of oil? Considering that we have little or no governmental interest in Burma or Darfur, it is clear that our government cares little for foreign humanitarian needs, must less our own, bearing in mind the attention given to the victims of hurricane Katrina. Money. Is that all that wars really boil down to? Someone is always making a profit, whether it is the funeral homes, weapons companies or government officials. Why? Can we ever really answer why? We study history to learn from past mistakes, but somehow they keep getting repeated.