No More Stories to Tell
by Germaine Armielle C. Rentoria
Editorial
Originally written on January 6, 2020
Illustrated by Margrett Delos Reyes
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| Illustrated by Margrett Delos Reyes |
Let’s start this off with numbers shall we? Have you ever once wondered what the heaviest thing on Earth is? An average cotton ball has a weight that ranges from 0.000408 to 0.000566 kilograms. The usual household wooden cabinet is at an estimated 272 kilograms while the heaviest structure on Earth is the Great Wall of China with an astonishing 52,616,714,920 kilograms. The black hole - the heaviest thing in the universe - has a mass that cannot be measured and written numerically without scientific notation. However, even the infamous black hole does not hold a candle to the weight of the millions of lives lost and at stake during war. The heaviest thing on Earth cannot be measured with instruments such as weighing scales; it is an abstract weight held upon the lives of all those who survived, fought and directed the course of war.
July 28, 1914 - November 11, 1918. Described as the “war to end all wars”, the World War 1 is considered one of the deadliest conflicts in history. It has an estimation of nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths. It also resulted in genocides and the 1918 pandemic which caused an additional 50 to 100 million deaths.
September 1, 1939 - September 2, 1945. These dates marked the record of the deadliest war in human history. World War 2 has an estimated 70 to 85 million fatalities which include massacres, genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, death from starvation and disease, and the use of the horrifying nuclear weapon.
January 3, 2020 and onwards. Many say that 2020 will be the year that will start the World War 3. A much bigger war compared to the prior two considering the amount of technological advancement on military and weaponry. It was considered as a joke at first, with memes all over social media saying that the US-Iranian Conflict will spark the third great war. You’d think that the people would have learned after the two world wars. Maybe history just never really says goodbye; instead it says, “See you later.”
The cost of war is imminent to whatever side of conflict it may be. War between countries does not only count the thousands of lives and infrastructures destroyed but the machinery and weaponry as well. An estimated $4.1 trillion dollars was the total cost for World War II, the costliest war ever recorded in history. When both sides lose money and people, there is no way to determine who the real winner is.
July 28, 1914 - November 11, 1918. Described as the “war to end all wars”, the World War 1 is considered one of the deadliest conflicts in history. It has an estimation of nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths. It also resulted in genocides and the 1918 pandemic which caused an additional 50 to 100 million deaths.
September 1, 1939 - September 2, 1945. These dates marked the record of the deadliest war in human history. World War 2 has an estimated 70 to 85 million fatalities which include massacres, genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, death from starvation and disease, and the use of the horrifying nuclear weapon.
January 3, 2020 and onwards. Many say that 2020 will be the year that will start the World War 3. A much bigger war compared to the prior two considering the amount of technological advancement on military and weaponry. It was considered as a joke at first, with memes all over social media saying that the US-Iranian Conflict will spark the third great war. You’d think that the people would have learned after the two world wars. Maybe history just never really says goodbye; instead it says, “See you later.”
The cost of war is imminent to whatever side of conflict it may be. War between countries does not only count the thousands of lives and infrastructures destroyed but the machinery and weaponry as well. An estimated $4.1 trillion dollars was the total cost for World War II, the costliest war ever recorded in history. When both sides lose money and people, there is no way to determine who the real winner is.
It is crucial to note however, that war does not just happen overnight and be triggered by one event. The causes of war are usually numerous; several years of tension and conflict must happen first before war will be declared. However grave the situation may be - the assassination of a great leader, the colonization of a country or a revolution - one must first consider what is right. Correcting the mistake with another mistake has never been a solution to any problem. Revenge has never solved or truly satisfied anyone. Instead, it makes the already dire situation worse. A situation that inhibits the future of innocent citizens and lives. The leaders of the countries involved only stand by to watch calmly in their comfortable chairs as their men go out to battle for their pride. Those who call the war are not the ones who die and get injured, they are not the ones who struggle in the battlefield holding guns to their chests. Yet, they make the calls and get the honor of valor.
There is no telling what a war in this new decade will look like. With military technology ever-improving, the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 75 years ago will seem like child’s play. Considering the state of the Earth and the environment right now, no one knows what will be left of humanity, or if anything will remain after it.
Now read the bold words and letters in order. It is ironic how everyone continues on with what they are doing even on thin lines. The youth continues to study and adults continue working. Until further notice, the conflicts of countries and the tension between them will remain as only tension. However, there is a constant fear amongst everyone that one day, all of a sudden, a loud bang will resonate among the vicinity. That loud bang will sound the start of World War III. Nothing will ever be the same after that.
The League of Nations failed once. Will its successor, the United Nations be effective in achieving its purpose of creation? Will history once again repeat itself for the third time? Or will there be no history to be told after that?
The League of Nations failed once. Will its successor, the United Nations be effective in achieving its purpose of creation? Will history once again repeat itself for the third time? Or will there be no history to be told after that?
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