The destructive reach of war is so much more devastating than what gets covered in the news. The scares of which will be felt for generations to come across the world.
I can’t begin to image how it must feel to say goodbye to the people you love, as you leave for safer areas, or you stay to fight in a battle you never wanted, not sure if you will see each other again. The tragic, needless loss of life, the physical and emotional trauma, is unforgivable and unforgettable.
The purpose of history is to give us a perspective on the present and to influence our actions in the future, so we don’t make the same mistakes time and time again. Yet it seems like when it comes to war the world forgets, ignores the past and does it all over again. Surly we are better than this!
In truth, I believe the majority of the world is. It sees the futility of what we are all witnessing, it knows what is right and wrong; is vocal about what needs to stop and what needs to start, and what it takes to live in a fair and just society. I only wish that the collective voice was loud enough, so that those in charge are not allowed to abuse their power and change the world for the worse.
Rarely are the powerful harmed by war, it is mostly the ordinary people, on both sides of the aggression. The children, the families, the young and the old, their lives irreversibly changed. And with evert bullet and every bomb that is fired, a little bit of our collective humanity is stolen from us all. We must never let the lessons of the past, or the lessons we are learning today, fade in our shared consciousness, because, just maybe, we can create a future generation that will never forget and is united in its commitment to never repeat its mistakes.
Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine, our hope that those families can be safely reunited, in a country they call home.
British International School of Charlotte
