Here’s how I’d summarize the war from the Indian epic, Mahabharat:
‘Two sides are in a conflict. One side wants its rights, but is willing to compromise, live and let live. The other side wants it all, is envious of the former’s success, and is willing to use questionable methods to win.
They go to war. To start with, the first side fights fairly. As the war heats up, nastiness escalates, Losses mount on both sides. The first side starts breaking rules as well. At some point, it becomes hard to tell the good guys from the bad.
The ‘good’ guys go on until the other side is almost entirely destroyed, and declare victory. The few living soldiers from the other side, overcome with their losses and with nothing to lose, attack the victors’ camp as they sleep, and kill all their children.
The victorious good side take their rightful place as rulers, but have no joy, having lost their kith and kin.’
I’ve been thinking about this a lot in the last few days. All wars follow this pattern.
That's a good summary. It has to be tempered with that fact that “it is the victor who writes the history and counts the dead.”
ReplyDeleteYou mean it's easy for the victors to describe themselves as the good guys once the war is done? Fair point.
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