If we don't end war, war will end us.

"If we don't end war, war will end us." These powerful words, spoken by H. G. Wells, reverberate with the urgency and gravity of a warning that echoes through the corridors of time. Wells, a man who lived through the horrors of World War I and saw the devastation it wrought on the earth and its people, understood the tragic irony of humanity’s endless conflict. He saw that war, once unleashed, has a life of its own, and left unchecked, it threatens not just the peace of nations, but the very existence of mankind itself. War is not merely a struggle between armies—it is a force that, if allowed to grow unchecked, will consume everything in its path, including the spirit of humanity.

In the ancient world, the Greeks were no strangers to the ravages of war. Their cities, once proud and flourishing, were often torn asunder by the ambitions of kings and generals. Consider the Trojan War, a conflict that began with the abduction of Helen, but quickly escalated into a decade-long struggle that destroyed both sides. In the end, even the victors, the Greeks, returned to ruins, their homes and lands scarred by years of violence. The cost of war was not just in the lives lost but in the very soul of the people, whose future was shaped by the bitter legacy of conflict. Wells’ warning was clear: without an end to the cycle of war, its effects would extend far beyond the battlefield—it would consume civilization itself.

Wells' message is reinforced when we look at the rise of the Roman Empire. Rome, for all its glory and grandeur, was built upon the backs of those who were subjugated by war. With each conquest, the Romans expanded their empire, but they also sowed the seeds of their own destruction. As the empire stretched across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, it became ever more reliant on the machinery of war to maintain its power. In time, the Roman Empire, overstretched and weakened by internal conflict and external pressure, collapsed under the weight of its own wars. The very force that had once built Rome was the force that ultimately tore it down. War, once begun, becomes a cycle of destruction that will devour its creators if not stopped.

When we turn our gaze to the twentieth century, we see the clearest example of Wells' warning. The First World War was a catastrophe unlike any the world had seen before. Europe—a continent once known for its great empires and thriving cultures—was devastated by trench warfare, chemical weapons, and industrialized slaughter. The cost was not just in the millions of lives lost, but in the very fabric of society that was ripped apart by the conflict. And yet, even as the war ended, the seeds of another conflict—World War II—were sown in the ashes of that devastation. The peace that followed the first war was fragile, and within two decades, another war of unimaginable scale and destruction unfolded. By the time the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, humanity had created a weapon so powerful that it could end the world in an instant. Wells foresaw this in his writing, understanding that without a fundamental change in how we view and approach war, it would not only persist—it would evolve into something far more deadly, threatening the very survival of civilization.

In this light, Wells' quote stands as both a warning and a call to action. The cycle of war has always been with us, from the ancient conflicts of the Greeks to the global wars of the twentieth century. But as the power of destruction increases, so too does the potential for humanity to destroy itself. The lessons of history are clear: if we do not end war, if we do not find another way to resolve our differences, the cost will be far greater than we can imagine. War, left unchecked, becomes a force of nature, a destructive tide that cannot be held back once it begins. And in the end, it will not just tear apart nations and civilizations—it will threaten the very existence of our species.

The lesson we must take from Wells' words is clear: we must end war—not merely as a means of diplomacy, but as a way of life. We must seek peace, understanding, and cooperation over conflict, and we must build a world where war is not the default answer to our differences. It is not enough to win battles; we must win the peace. As individuals, we must strive to be agents of peace, seeking common ground, speaking out against violence, and encouraging others to reject the myth of glory that war often promises. As nations, we must invest in dialogue, in international cooperation, and in the pursuit of shared prosperity. We must recognize that war is not an answer but a failure of imagination, a failure to see the humanity in one another.

And so, let us heed the words of H. G. Wells, for they are not just a reflection of the past but a guiding light for our future. If we do not end war—if we do not find ways to resolve our differences through peace—then war will, indeed, end us. The choice is ours, and it must be made before it is too late. We must choose understanding over violence, dialogue over weapons, and humanity over war. Only then can we hope to build a future worthy of the generations to come.