War is sweet to those who have not experienced it.

In the ancient chronicles of the world, there are few tales as sorrowful as the stories of those who, driven by glory, honor, or patriotism, march to the battlefield with the belief that war is a noble pursuit. Desiderius Erasmus, the sage of Rotterdam, spoke with the clarity of one who had seen the darkness of the human soul, and in his wisdom, he declared, "War is sweet to those who have not experienced it." These words ring through the ages, a warning to those who gaze upon war from a distance, blinded by the romanticism of victory and the false allure of heroism, unaware of the true cost of the bloodshed they so eagerly espouse.

Erasmus’ insight speaks to the fundamental truth of human nature—that we, in our ignorance, often glorify what we do not understand. War, from a distance, is seen as a game of strategy, a conflict where heroes rise and villains fall, where nations battle for supremacy, and the victorious are celebrated. The young, eager to prove themselves, may dream of honor and glory, but they fail to see the deeper suffering that lies beyond the battlefield. War is sweet to those who have not experienced it, because they see it only as a test of strength, not as the ravaging force it truly is.

The great wars of history, from the ancient battles of Greece to the modern conflicts of the 20th century, have often been driven by the fantasies of those who have not known the true horror of war. In the midst of battle, the cries of the wounded, the sight of the dead, the stench of destruction, and the toll on the spirit are forces that cannot be imagined by those who have never tasted war’s bitterness. The soldiers on the front lines, those who are caught in the ceaseless turmoil of battle, understand its true nature—a savage and brutal test of endurance that leaves scars not just on the body, but on the soul itself.

Let us recall the tale of Antony and Cleopatra, whose grand war for empire was built upon visions of glory and greatness. The Roman Empire, led by Mark Antony, saw in the conquest of Egypt a means of eternal glory, but what began as a romantic dream of victory turned into a disaster. In the Battle of Actium, the vision of victory was shattered, and the great leaders found themselves not as heroes, but as defeated souls, cast down by the consequences of their war-driven ambitions. The lessons of this defeat remind us that the sweetness of war, when seen from afar, is often consumed by the bitterness of its aftermath.

In the modern era, the Vietnam War offers another stark example. Many young men, eager for glory and filled with idealistic notions of defending their country, were thrust into a conflict far more brutal and complex than they could ever have imagined. Those who fought in the jungles of Vietnam returned broken—not just by the physical toll of the war, but by the moral and psychological wounds it inflicted. What was once seen as a battle for freedom and honor became a devastating nightmare, filled with loss and regret. The true nature of war, as Erasmus warned, could only be understood by those who had lived through it, and for them, it was never sweet.

So, what then is the lesson of Erasmus' words? War is not a path to glory; it is a sacrifice of the highest order. It is a force that consumes, that strips away the illusions of heroism and lays bare the raw, painful truth of human suffering. The true cost of war is measured not in victories or defeats, but in the lives shattered, the families torn apart, and the souls broken by the violence of conflict. In our own lives, we must strive to understand the weight of war, whether in our personal struggles or in the larger conflicts of the world. We must seek to build a world where peace is cherished above all else, where the sweetness of war is replaced by the sweetness of understanding, reconciliation, and cooperation.

Let us take Erasmus’ wisdom to heart: to those who have not seen war, it may seem sweet, a means to an end, a path to glory. But for those who have lived it, we understand that it is the very absence of war that is the true blessing, and it is the preservation of life and peace that we must value above all else. In our own actions, let us seek to build peace, to find solutions to our conflicts that do not require the destruction of life, but the uplifting of the human spirit. Let us teach the next generation that the sweetness of peace is far greater than any imagined sweetness of war.