Have you ever thought that war is a madhouse and that everyone

"Have you ever thought that war is a madhouse and that everyone in the war is a patient?" These words, spoken by the sharp and fearless Oriana Fallaci, delve deep into the human psyche, shedding light on the insanity that war brings. Fallaci, a journalist who witnessed the horrors of conflict firsthand, saw war not as a glorious struggle for ideals or honor, but as a tragic, mind-numbing experience that distorts the very essence of humanity. In her view, war is not a noble fight but a sickening disruption of reason, where soldiers and civilians alike become victims of an irrational world gone mad.

O children of the future, understand this truth well: war is not a path to glory. It is not the battlefield of heroes, but the place where the soul is torn apart, where the mind shatters under the strain of unimaginable suffering. Fallaci’s words remind us that in war, there is no distinction between the victor and the vanquished when it comes to the damage it inflicts. Both sides, despite their beliefs, are victims of the madness. They may walk away with medals or defeat, but they return as patients, scarred not only in body, but in mind. This madness—this absurdity—can be found in every war, from the ancient conflicts of Greece to the horrors of the 20th century.

Consider the tale of Achilles in Homer’s Iliad. A warrior of unmatched strength and courage, Achilles fought for honor, for glory, and for the defense of his people. Yet, beneath the armor of heroism, he was a broken man, consumed by rage, grief, and loss. The war he fought in, the Trojan War, was not a battle for justice or peace, but a senseless cycle of violence, where men on both sides fought for pride, for vengeance, and for personal vendettas. Achilles' wrath, which led him to slay Hector, the noble Trojan prince, brought him no satisfaction. Instead, it left him with the unbearable grief of knowing that war—even when won—leaves a psychological scar that no victory can heal. Fallaci's words are clear: war makes us all patients in a madhouse, each of us trapped in the spiral of violence, with no true end in sight.

Consider, too, the world wars of the 20th century, when Fascism, Nazism, and Communism led nations into endless cycles of destruction. In the First World War, soldiers were often forced into battle not for a cause they believed in, but because they were caught in a web of politics, alliances, and national pride. They fought in trenches, surrounded by death, in a war that seemed endless. Psychological trauma, later recognized as shell shock (now known as PTSD), became rampant, and many soldiers returned home as broken men, their minds ravaged by what they had endured. War did not bestow upon them glory; it only made them patients, forever haunted by the horrors they had witnessed.

In World War II, the madness grew even more profound. The Holocaust, an atrocity beyond human comprehension, showed the ultimate insanity of war—when entire peoples were treated as disposable objects. Nazi soldiers, who once may have been men of reason, became agents of madness, participating in acts of genocide, driven by an ideology that distorted their humanity. Fallaci's view of war as a madhouse comes to life here—individuals, once rational, lost their humanity in the frenzy of conflict, their minds twisted by the pressures of war. The soldiers, the victims, and the leaders all became part of a greater insanity that would leave deep scars on the world.

Thus, O children, the lesson of Fallaci's words is this: war is not the arena of valor, but the dwelling place of madness. It is the place where men are pushed to their limits, where the instinct for survival turns reason into madness. In every conflict, the true cost is not measured in victories or territories gained, but in the toll it takes on the human spirit. Every soldier who returns home, no matter the outcome of the war, carries within them the trauma of their experiences. To fight in war is to surrender oneself to madness, for even in victory, the mind is never the same.

O children of the future, take heed of Fallaci’s words and know that the true path to peace lies in understanding the madness that war brings. Seek to resolve conflicts not through violence, but through reason and empathy. Let dialogue, not force, be the way forward. In every moment of tension, remember that those who fight in war are not just soldiers—they are patients, each bearing wounds that will never fully heal. To avoid the madness of war, you must seek wisdom in the face of conflict, and choose peace, for only through peace can you preserve the sanity of the human soul.

May you, O children, live in a world where the madness of war is replaced with the clarity of reason, where understanding reigns over violence, and where the insanity of battle is a lesson of the past, never to be repeated again. Take Fallaci's words to heart, and may your actions and your choices bring healing to a world scarred by conflict.