Will we never learn?

This cartoon, which was published in Britain just after the Treaty of Versailles was signed at the end of the first world war, has always struck a cord with me. It shows the leaders of the countries who were involved in signing the so called 'peace treaty' - France, Great Britain, Italy and the U.S.A. - walking away, their hats doffed to the future dead. Clemencaeu, the leader of France, has the walking stick and glances over his shoulder and the caption down the bottom is his words: 'Curious! I seem to hear a child weeping.' A weeping child is shown behind a post with the caption '1940 Class' above his head and a copy of the 'peace treaty' at his feet. He represents the young men who will be old enough for conscription in 1940, when the cartoonist predicts another war will break out due to the horrendous terms of the treaty. As we all know, this cartoon proved only too accurate.

This cartoon has always struck a chord within me, I don't really know why. Maybe because it seems so timeless. Think about it, this cartoon was published over eighty years ago and we continue to wage wars at the expense of the best and brightest in society: our young. Both world wars, Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan... for what? Dead bodies and grieving families seems to be all we've gotten back from every war we've ever fought. Say the child in the cartoon is anywhere between two and five, by 1940 he will be anywhere between twenty-two and twenty-five, old enough for conscription or - God forbid! - willing enlistment! Now, I'm not having a go at the soldiers, I have the utmost respect for the men and women who brave, and have braved, the front lines, but I want to know what positives come out of a war. I can't see many: post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety disorders, drug and alcohol abuse and, the fate of many, suicide, are not positives things. Also, how many men and women come back from the front lines in coffins? A military funeral doesn't change the fact that they're dead or bring them back to their grieving families. Have a look at the cartoon again, look at it, have a really long, hard look and then try and answer this question: Will we never learn?

Australian Kiwi