The Road to Perdition

The road to perdition is a beautiful sight: it is paved with illusions, false promises and lies. Are we as a species destined to die, succumbing before a greed and fear fueling our lives? Is war and social inequality so ingrained in our soul, that a self-seeking nature knows only one goal: to amass riches and power at any expense, for the meaning of life is satisfying every sense? Are the social problems of the past always destined to last, by never atoning for sins that generations outlast? The 20th century alone claimed a quarter of a billion lives, names by history unknown despite the most horrific war crimes. Millions of people met their demise in wars, but war itself never died, a malignant cancer that all survived. On fallow barren fields, civilians took their final breath, as war marched past battlefields, one hundred million starved to death. Words can explain, but never morally justify, the reason for so much pain, why so many had to die, apparently in vain for the same old lies. But silence unbroken before the injustices of the day… is a license so spoken to embrace our moral decay. The road to perdition began with war, and every step since taken has only led us to more. When respect for human life is an agonizing sickness, afflicting those deemed strong on defense, killing becomes a profitable business, as the balance of power never stands. Alliances made never do last: the enemy of today was the ally of the past. A security dilemma sends all nations to war: only unlimited arsenals can settle a score. A never-ending arms race becomes the only illogical plan, as the very concept of disarmament is forever banned. Death is industrialized, packaged and sold, prices are negotiable, but not your soul. Nations weaponize every new technology, imposing their will, never offering apologies. Mutual assured destruction is the logical defense, business as usual sparing no expense. There will always be a supply of war, so long states and industries demand always more. In the absence of institutions and international law, peace and dialogue will never have the floor. Only the power of the Word can bring peaceful silence, to the gunfire always heard, and empowered by science. Better to sit on a table, setting differences aside, than be forced to a military timetable abide. When human lives are ruled by supply and demand, is there anything not sold, which no price commands? At what point do we declare war on fear itself, so amicable words can free us from Hell? So long words are silenced, all these questions lifeless remain, for hope in the future has also been slain. The road to perdition leads to a blinding sight: the Death of Day before a Hopeless Night.