what if they gave a war and nobody came?

while i have some respect for and pity anyone who has lost their life or loved ones in a war - in every case (the world over) it is not good enough to just blame the kings and generals and media. all men - apart from the virtuous ones- join up. whether it is for the trenches in WW1, a colombian drugs gang, as crew on a pirate ship, al-quaeda, a school bullying group (here, at least,women -or girls- have achieved equality), to fight for an african war lord or george bush, to fire american drones or to fight with the british in iraq.... etdepressingcetera. in each case we commit to doing harm to whoever the commanders tell us to and choose to ignore our own feelings and judgment.

we all have the mental capacity to reject jingoistic or racist justifications for conflict but choose to fight instead. ww1 is particularly tragic because there is no agreed cause or purpose for the event (see above)ultimately, you would have to conclude it was because men (around the world) like fighting. and can hardly complain when it turned out to be a hell.

there were (and are) instances of conscientious objection, desertion, co-operation between enemies and informal agreements to shoot to miss. these men for me are the true heroes.