Say 'NO'

“My name is Edeltraud Gerda Hamilton. I was born in Stuttgart, Germany in 1936. When I was three years old World War II broke out. I don't remember a lot of what was happening when I was three but I remember my father being called into military service. He had no choice but to go. My dada was gone and we lived in fear every day. Life was hard for my mom without dad and she had three little kids to care for. When my brother was about 12 or 13 years old he was taken away from us to serve in the 'Hitler Youth Center', where all young boys had to go.  We lost our home in the war. Life was hard for all of us. We found a damaged but livable place to stay. Food was now rationed and we had very little to live. Once the war was over, it was hard for us to restart our life from nothing.”

This is the experience of a young girl, who lived during the World War II.

If I speak for myself, I am a normal teenager, living in a normal atmosphere. I have a family, a house to live in, food to eat and clothes to cover myself with. In short, I have all the basic necessities of life. Let me share my views on those who lack all these.

Refugee. The dictionary explains the meaning of this word as a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. A person who has been stripped off their birthrights, in order to satisfy the egos of big capitalist countries. All of us here would know about the different wars that have taken place in the world. It might have been for various reasons like possession, freedom, discrimination, revolution etc. If we browse through history, we can see that many wars have benefitted the social and economic conditions of many countries. In the First World War, the United States of America gained a fortune by selling ammunition to both sides in the war. They also emerged as one of the most powerful countries. In the Second World War, Switzerland, Germany, Russia, Britain and the U.S. had their fair share of benefits. This is what mostly all of us know about the wars. So and so wars happened in the past and so and so countries reaped its benefits.

What we are neglecting to see here is the millions of lives lost during the war. Innocent people, who were going about on their own business, had to bear the brunt of the war.

The most terrifying nuclear disasters of all time were experienced by Japan during the Second World War. The radiations emitted by the Little Boy and the Fat Man over Hiroshima and Nagasaki are still lingering over those parts. And the ones who have borne the scars of this are none, but the common people. They are suffering till date for no fault of theirs.

Let’s take another example: The conflict between Israel and Palestine has been all over the news recently. Israel is not willing to relent even after interventions from the UN. The death toll is rising per day to a staggering 1,700. The newspapers are bombarded with pictures of the relatives of the dead, mourning and wailing. Small children are stranded on the streets, having lost their family. Mothers, who spent their days dreaming about their children’s bright future, are unwillingly forced to see their children being taken away, lifeless. They are out on the streets. They've lost all hope.

Take a moment out and put yourself in their shoes. Everything that you thought were yours is all gone. Come to think of it, you are unsure if you’ll live to see the next second.

If we reflect deeply on these wars and think of the millions who are still coming to terms with their situation, the benefits reaped by those big countries are NOTHING. A big zero. There is no loss greater than the loss of human lives, than the loss of human hope. Bring about changes in the world with peace as your weapon. If you think that wars are the need of the moment to bring about many changes, open your eyes. Look at the millions who are begging for a chance to live a carefree life. We might have loads of dreams and wishes for the future, but their only wish is to let them live.  Raise your voice and speak out for them. Say NO to wars. 

(Protest against militarism and wars on Golden Gate Bridge)

10th Grade Musing