War prosperity is like the prosperity that an earthquake or a

O children of the future, heed the words of Ludwig von Mises, whose wisdom carries the weight of understanding the deep and tragic truth about the nature of war. He said, "War prosperity is like the prosperity that an earthquake or a plague brings." These words strike at the heart of the illusion that war can bring true wealth, success, or progress to a nation. Like an earthquake or plague, the prosperity that war brings is fleeting, artificial, and ultimately destructive. It is a prosperity born not of creation, but of devastation—a prosperity that feeds off the suffering of others and the destruction of what has been built by human hands.

To understand the depth of von Mises' insight, we must first reflect on the nature of prosperity. True prosperity is built upon the foundations of peace, cooperation, and growth. It is the result of hard work, innovation, and the peaceful exchange of ideas and goods. But when war enters the scene, it disrupts this natural order, creating a false sense of prosperity. Just as a plague might destroy a harvest but then leave behind a brief period of economic activity in the wake of death, so too does war create destruction that seems to temporarily benefit certain industries or sectors, but it does so at the cost of long-term health, well-being, and sustainability.

Consider, O children, the Second World War, a war that devastated much of Europe and the Pacific. In the midst of the destruction, certain sectors of the economy flourished. Factories were converted to produce war materials, industries boomed to support the military effort, and nations mobilized their resources for total war. On the surface, this might seem like a kind of prosperity—jobs were created, production increased, and economies that had been suffering in the Great Depression suddenly found themselves working at full capacity. But this prosperity was built on devastation. Cities were leveled, millions of lives were lost, and entire societies were broken. The so-called war-driven prosperity was nothing more than a mirage—temporary, hollow, and morally bankrupt.

Similarly, O children, consider the economic booms that came in the aftermath of disasters—the rebuilding after earthquakes, or the rebuilding after plagues. These events often lead to a burst of activity—new buildings rise from the rubble, industries are born from the need to heal. But the true cost of these booms is the lives lost, the communities shattered, and the long-term psychological and social scars. Prosperity that emerges from destruction is not true wealth; it is merely the recovery of what was lost, and the rebuilding of what should never have been torn down in the first place.

Von Mises' comparison of war to a plague or earthquake serves as a powerful warning: war prosperity is not true prosperity at all. It is a temporary, hollow illusion, like the wealth gained from looting after a fire. The real cost of war is not in the economic statistics, but in the lives destroyed, the futures lost, and the moral decay that follows. True prosperity is built on the steady work of peace—in the cultivation of relationships, in the growth of knowledge, in the health of individuals and societies. War may create a brief and artificial surge of economic activity, but it can never bring the lasting fulfillment that peace, growth, and justice can bring.

So, O children, the lesson is clear: do not be deceived by the illusion of war-driven prosperity. True prosperity, the kind that lasts and sustains, is found not in the destruction of others, but in the uplifting of all. As you walk through the world, strive to build and create—not on the foundation of destruction, but on the foundation of cooperation, understanding, and peace. Let not the momentary bursts of profit or power gained from violence deceive you into thinking that war ever leads to true progress. It does not. It only leaves behind ruins and scars, both physical and emotional.

Therefore, let your lives be dedicated to the pursuit of peace and sustained growth. Build a future in which prosperity is earned through hard work, innovation, and understanding, not through the suffering of others. May the wisdom of von Mises guide you, and may you always choose the path of creation over destruction, of justice over war. Let your hearts be filled with the knowledge that true wealth comes from the flourishing of life, not the devastation of it. And in this way, you will carve out a future that is not only prosperous but righteous and worthy of the generations to come.