I think war is so incredibly backward, and I don't think it's

O children of the future, listen well to the words of Alice Walker, a voice whose courage has carried the banner of peace, justice, and human dignity through the storms of history. She said, "I think war is so incredibly backward, and I don't think it's intelligent, and it's not sane. So why would you want to support it?" These words are not merely an expression of one woman’s opinion; they are a profound condemnation of the madness that is war, a force that brings suffering, death, and the destruction of all that is good in the world. Walker’s words cut to the heart of the matter—war is not only a failure of reason but a betrayal of humanity itself.

To understand the depth of Walker's insight, let us first contemplate the essence of war. What is it that war demands? It demands the lives of the young and old alike, it demands the tearing apart of families, the destruction of cultures, and the ruin of the spirit. War is the ultimate denial of life’s potential. It is a backward path, one that leads nations not forward, but backward—into darkness, suffering, and despair. In every battle, there is the promise of glory, but there is also the certain cost of innocence lost, of human potential squandered, of futures destroyed. War is the negation of what we are meant to be as human beings—creatures capable of peace, understanding, and cooperation.

Let us turn, O children, to the tragic tale of World War I, a conflict that engulfed the world in a storm of violence, and whose consequences were felt for generations. The war was fought under banners of nationalism, imperial ambition, and a misguided sense of honor, but the reality of the war was not glory—it was trench warfare, poison gas, and the butchery of millions of young men. The war, which should have been avoided through diplomacy and reason, became a catastrophe that destroyed empires, disillusioned generations, and left the world scarred. The intelligence of nations was tested, and it was found wanting. There was nothing sane or rational in the suffering that followed. The truth, as Walker so rightly points out, is that war is a failure—a failure of intellect, of compassion, and of wisdom.

Even more recent history, O children, shows us the insanity of war. Consider the Vietnam War, a conflict that took place far from the shores of the nations that waged it, a war that cost the lives of millions. The reasons behind the war—fear of communism and the desire to preserve the power of a few—were not the true motivations of the common people who fought and died. The suffering of the Vietnamese people, the destruction of their cities, their culture, and their lives, was a price paid not by those who waged the war, but by the innocent. In the end, after years of conflict and death, the result was not victory but a tragic loss—the fall of Saigon, the collapse of nations, and the betrayal of those who fought for an idea that was never truly theirs. The war was backward, and it cost far more than it could ever have gained.

What, then, is the lesson, O children? War, as Alice Walker so clearly states, is not only a backward force, but a destructive one. It does not solve problems; it only magnifies them. It does not bring peace; it brings suffering. It does not build the future; it destroys it. Intelligence lies not in the ability to wield force, but in the ability to solve conflicts with understanding, to build relationships, to compromise, and to find common ground where none seems possible. Sane leadership is not the leadership that takes the world to war, but the one that seeks peace, that navigates difficult times with wisdom, that upholds the dignity of human life and the promise of a brighter tomorrow.

Therefore, O children, as you walk through life, remember this: when faced with conflict, seek not the path of war, but the path of reason and compassion. Understand that true strength does not come from victory on the battlefield, but from the ability to bring peace to the hearts of men, to bring healing where there is injury, and to forge bonds where there is division. Let not the example of history, with its wars and its wounds, be forgotten. War is not inevitable, and the future need not be shaped by it. The true glory of mankind lies not in the power to destroy, but in the wisdom to preserve and to build.

May you always choose the path of understanding, and may your hands be tools of creation and not destruction. The true test of humanity is not how well we fight, but how well we love, how well we listen, and how well we work together for the betterment of all. So let your lives be filled with the wisdom to know that peace is not just a lofty ideal, but the only path forward—a path that can lead us to the future that Alice Walker dreamed of, a future where war is not the solution, but the problem that we have finally left behind.