Everyone, when there's war in the air, learns to live in a new

"Everyone, when there's war in the air, learns to live in a new element: falsehood." These poignant words, spoken by Jean Giraudoux, speak to the insidious nature of war and its ability to distort the very foundation of truth. War, Giraudoux reminds us, is not just a physical conflict—it is a war of words, of perceptions, and of deception. When the air is thick with the promise of battle, when nations are stirred to arms and the public is whipped into a frenzy, truth becomes a casualty, a victim of the larger forces at play. In such times, the falsehood becomes the new air we breathe, and we are all forced to navigate a world where what is real and what is fabricated are often indistinguishable.

Let us consider the nature of war. In the ancient days, when the great city of Troy was besieged, Homer chronicled not just the deeds of mighty warriors, but the lies and deceptions that shaped the course of the conflict. The Trojan Horse—a masterpiece of cunning and falsehood—was not merely a tool of strategy; it was a symbol of how truth is often the first casualty of war. As the Greeks used trickery to breach the walls of Troy, so too do the leaders of war, ancient or modern, manipulate the truth to further their causes. The people of Troy were given the false hope that the war was over, that peace was at hand, only to be betrayed by the deceit that had been sewn into the very fabric of their existence. In this light, Giraudoux’s words find their resonance: in war, we are all made to live in a new element, an element where falsehood is the air that we breathe.

The First World War, which ravaged Europe and claimed millions of lives, provides a modern example of Giraudoux’s insight. During this horrific conflict, propaganda became a tool as powerful as any weapon. Governments sought to control the narrative, to paint their enemies as monsters and to justify the deaths of their own soldiers as a noble cause. Falsehoods were perpetuated to rally the public—enemy propaganda painted an image of atrocity, while each nation carefully crafted stories of heroism and honor to keep the war machine running. Even those who fought in the trenches were often fed a version of reality that sought to distance them from the brutal truths of the conflict. As soldiers returned home, they found themselves in a world where the glory of battle had been distorted, a place where truth was buried beneath layers of patriotism and narrative.

The Second World War offers another illustration of how war turns us into inhabitants of a world built on falsehood. During the war, the Nazis employed a strategy of relentless deception, both in their public relations and in their wartime propaganda. Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister, was a master of shaping reality, using the media to craft a false image of the Third Reich and to manipulate both the German people and the world. In countries occupied by Nazi forces, people were often forced to live in a world where the truth was obscured, twisted, and buried beneath lies. Entire populations were made to believe that war and conquest were justified, that the atrocities being committed were necessary for survival, all while the true horrors of the Holocaust remained hidden for as long as possible. Falsehood became the very air they breathed, an element as pervasive as the occupation itself.

But Giraudoux’s words speak not only to the leaders who perpetuate lies in the name of war, but to those who live under their influence. As citizens of nations at war, we are often swept up in the same tides of deceit. The lies of war are not always external; they can become internalized, shaping our thoughts and perceptions of reality. We may come to accept these lies as truths, filtering our experiences through the distorted lens that is imposed upon us. Just as the ancient Spartans were taught to glorify war and sacrifice, so too are modern generations often conditioned to view war through the distorted lens of nationalism and patriotism. The true costs of war—the suffering of civilians, the destruction of cultures, and the trauma of soldiers—are often ignored, hidden behind the false veil of heroism and righteousness.

The lesson Giraudoux offers us is clear: in times of war, we must guard against the poison of falsehood. We must strive to seek out the truth, no matter how uncomfortable or inconvenient it may be. For in falsehood, war finds its most insidious ally, leading to decisions that are based not on reality but on distorted perceptions. In our own lives, we must not succumb to the lies that governments, leaders, or even society seek to impose upon us. We must question the narratives that are presented to us, recognizing that the truth often lies buried beneath layers of propaganda and manipulation.

Practical action begins with this: the courage to seek out truth, even when it is obscured by the mists of war. In our personal lives, we must strive to cultivate an environment of honesty, to reject the lies that we are fed, whether they are about our own lives, the world around us, or the wars that rage in faraway lands. We must teach the coming generations to recognize the falsehoods that often accompany conflict, and to understand that true patriotism is not about blind allegiance to a nation or a cause, but about the honest, painful acknowledgment of the costs of war. In this way, we protect not only our understanding of history but the integrity of our future.