We dream of things that never were and say: "Why not?"

Churchill did dream about Gallipoli and the Dardanelles, the dead soldiers on both the waters and the cliffs.

It was a nightmare!

The Dardanelles efforts have been his idea and could have altered the course of the 2nd word war at an earlier stage on the Western Front, – but it didn’t. The enemy was waiting and the bitter harvest was that the many youngsters belonging to Australia and New Zealand died, – like many British troops among those ANZAC’s died.

The memory might be fading and whilst privileged nations may not fight again, underprivileged nations will continue to do this and today at greater risk as due to access of warfare which ended the war in Japan.

In those days with ANZAC fighting at Gallipoli the biggest fear was fear itself for the enemy, militarism in both major wars, – which was the reason those war’s were fought as militarism was in the hands of large evil powers.

Almost all who died were civilians in peace time, leaving gaps in both their families and little towns, leaving empty places in both factories and farms.

They suffered, for sure, – whilst many others suffered as well, cruelty from all sides!

Those who died would have rather lived in peace, but there was no peace.

Those commemorating ANZAC day on the shores of Gallipoli today dedicate this former slaughter field as a final resting place for those who gave their lives not knowing which fate they would endure before they arrived here. They did it willingly or unwillingly when the end was near.

We will not remember for ever what they did, but let us never forget the evils of major war, – being dedicated to prevent such thing forever to be repeated again at far larger scale.

Now In the 21st century the wheel of history has turned from independence to a greater need of interdependence. This applies in all our endeavours, but the prevention of a new major war the most, even if it would take a war to prevent the last.

War’s have been fought over various decades, influence shifted across the borders of various nations and the balance of power will be neither the domain only of super powers nor the prerogative of economic powers when we see countries arise with the potential of military and nuclear power meeting us again, – eventually by surprise perhaps. The last destroying historical efforts of civilised nations to stay above the potential of mass destruction, based on the reasoning that a large new war is not a rational alternative anymore. Often this reasoning forged in the crucible of historical hardship, being different for most of the nations on this world, – however being unique in both the shared will to survive and to prosper.

This is what we need to see on ANZAC day as well, a reminder that the past is not allowed to repeat itself in a different identity.

Today in the international arena of politics we are faced with the increasing prospect that relatively less influential nations and leaders may use their possession of nuclear warheads by narrow-minded choice, – aiming to inflict as large as possible destruction for reasons nobody understands.

Where in the past super powers were in a state of ongoing rivalry with each other, times require the same super powers working together both for reasons of economic stability, – but also to contain and prevent those leaders and nations who may opt to use their arsenal of nuclear and chemical destruction.

It is bad luck that science provided us by choice the ability to destroy each other but fact is that the abilities are there, likewise the choice to do so is there, – the last increasingly in the hands of a few who may act both as evil and irresponsible as some leaders and nations in the past.

The examples are there and we all know them.

Neither history nor future will save us from destructive and evil spirits willing to destroy what has been made and to compromise the liberties of free man in the worst possible ways, – but early mutual recognition combined with similar mutual selective action may prevent larger drama’s lying possibly ahead.

The problem as such is as important as our response to this.

Whilst banning and destroying all nuclear and chemical weapons might be the ideal situation, it is not an achievable goal within the rational of those who have acquired those potential destructive powers as a deterrent.

Most of the countries who have them will use them as a last resort, based on the knowledge that first use of those abilities may lead to self-destruction, as first action this direction will likely meet more than a double strength response.

Whilst rising intensity of slavery in history and the threatening dissolution of the US as a nation became the triggering cause for a massive civil war on US mainland in the 1860ties, – rising nuclear tensions and the lack of super powers cooperating to combat those last tensions may be not the trigger of a civil war, – but the trigger of a new global war with more losses of lives than in all war’s before, – with more destructions than in all destructions before.

This is what we need to see as well, – remembering ANZAC day today.

We are faced with an opportunity to save and improve coöperation on this issue at global level, or lose it all together, – testing us now whether we can long endure.

The principles on which our endeavours would help us to reduce the risks being more clear now, need to be agreed on by the nations with the most leverage and influence on the dynamics of this world. Those principles would involve agreements and processes under which circumstances it being right to take military action as a first and last resort to prevent greater dangers down the line.

The issues around North Korea and its dictatorship provides an opportunity to both China, the US, Russia and other countries to re-examine their attitude towards the dangers of more countries perhaps having access to nuclear weapons and the increasing risk when they are in the hands of irrational leaders, – neither willing to surrender nor to compromise.

The issue that existing weapons are non provocative, designed to deter and carefully controlled is more important than ever before, likewise the issue of being disciplined in self-restraint and committed to peace, refraining from rhetorical hostility, – all being of greater importance than ever before.

Those countries not complying with the last, subject to prove,  – need to face the agreed implications at the earliest possible stage. The last neither as part of victory nor triumph, – but more for the sad necessity to relief the world of potential more devastating and evil directed conflicts than ever before, putting humanity at risk.

This requires being prepared for those who wish this, – but civilised nations need to be alert to stop it.

The last as well in an effort of building a world where the strong are just by meeting their responsibility to protect those who are weak.

Whilst the road to peace might be difficult, – a strategy of annihilation in one part of the world may affect the whole world and is inconceivable.

It’s a thing not to forget when facing ANZAC day in the eye today!

It’s a problem affecting us all and whilst present problems are the result of the way of thinking created at least in part amidst various rivalries from the past, – major improvement can only be expected when the majority of civilised nations do realise that some of the past perceptions do not work, – and can’t be solved by working harder on inflated and obsolete ideas.

That we need to captivate imagination and inspire emotion to work together in different ways and leave rivalries risking to compromise an enduring stability behind.

Whilst the founders of many nations did achieve a lot to be where we are now, the harvest of any past glory is overshadowed by the challenges we face in a world with an obligation to sustain, – and not to perish together on moral ground not being fully occupied on the proposition that all men are created equal, and that no one has the right to put the lives of many at risk on the battle fields of hatred.

Therefore the ANZAC spirit at Gallipoli can’t be forgotten, – because if we forget,  the past will repeat in the future at a different time and at a different place and at a different level.

Thank you!

–

http://paulalexanderwolf.com/2013/01/06/we-dream-of-things-that-never-were-and-say-why-not/

 

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