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by Violet on February 16th, 2009

Violet

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How do you explain why we are at war, to an 8 year old?

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  • by Teresa on February 16th, 2009

    Teresa

    Well, that really depends on why YOU think we're at war. I can tell you what I'D say to an 8-year old, but if we don't agree with each other, you obviously won't want to tell your 8-year old the same thing as I would.

    The basic principle to follow is that you should tell them the truth. This is how you tell a person of any age anything: by using the truth. Of course, young children need things explained to them in simple ways and using simple language, but it should still be based on the truth, as you see it.

    I would say this to an 8-year old:

    "As you know, a war is a big fight between two sides. Sometimes other groups join the war to support one side or another. There can be civil wars, which are wars between two different sides that live in the same country. There can also be wars between two different countries. There are also World Wars -- these are wars where all the biggest, richest countries join in. There have been two world wars in our history.

    "For as long as humans have been around, people have found reasons to go to war. Usually these wars are about money, power, glory, or all three. Some people believe ALL wars are about these things.

    "I disagree: I think there is such a thing as a just war. If someone breaks into our house and threatens us with a weapon, I think the right thing to do is to protect myself and you. If I'm lucky, I might be able to get the person out of the house without hurting him, but I might have to hurt the person, or even kill him, just to protect us. You can say the same thing about a group of people, like a country. If you're the leader of a country, and another country is threatening your country, you have to defend yourself, and that might mean war.

    "No matter what the reason, war is an unfortunate thing because so many people suffer. In our society, war is often glorified. I don't like the way most people talk about war in our society. You should be very careful when you talk about war, because we all have such different opinions on it, and you might upset someone. And whenever you hear someone talk about war, you should listen carefully, and try and figure out what they mean by what they're saying. You shouldn't just accept that what they say is true: you should think about it and decide on your own what is true.

    "Right now, the US is occupying Iraq and Afghanistan. That means they have gone into those countries and set up governments there. People talk about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that is because the US is there fighting groups of people that are rebelling against them and the government they've set up.

    "Many people think this war is justified. They say they're responding to the terrorist attacks on 9/11. They say the Middle East is a threat to the Western way of life. Many people do not think this war is justified: I'm one of them. I think this war is about power and greed. It is a very, very complicated issue. Most people don't think about how complicated it is, but they have opinions about it anyway. I don't understand all of it, either, but my opinion is it's wrong."

    Comments

    • I like the 2nd to last one. I really don't know what we're still over there.

      Violet

      by Violet on February 16th, 2009

    • It all began with Bush's selfish ways.
      Then he said it was to prevent terroists.. which we all know is a lie. what it was really about was oil

      Anonymous

      by Anonymous on February 16th, 2009

    • I don't think it was Bush, specifically. It was everyone. It was everything.

      Teresa

      by Teresa on February 16th, 2009

    • There has been enough shows on TV and the Internet about how he was mixed up with all this. so yeah he is the major creator. he knew there was war starting the day he was told in his ear that the twin towers were struck.

      Anonymous

      by Anonymous on February 16th, 2009

    • Oh, of course Bush was involved. I'm just saying, I think people credit Bush with too much power -- and the other forces at play with too little power, and too much innocence -- when they say that Bush is the main man behind what's going on in the Middle East right now. Who was it who was whispering in his ear, after all? And think about it: everyone loves Obama, thinks he's swell and all that, but has he pulled out? If he's such a great man, and Bush such a selfish one, and this war so unjust, why hasn't Obama pulled out and put a stop to this?

      Teresa

      by Teresa on February 17th, 2009

    • I heard that he's trying to, there are some steps involved and he's going through them now.

      Anonymous

      by Anonymous on February 17th, 2009

    • This is an interesting thing I read the other day that is on point so I thought I'd paste it here. It's just a letter to the editor of NOW Magazine (a free weekly in Toronto), so who knows if it's true, but it is interesting.
      .
      "The fact is, Obama reports to a few wealthy and powerful families who own the U.S. Federal Reserve. Yes, folks, it is a privately owned bank that controls the finances of the U.S. and for that matter the finances of a major part of the world. It has been that way with every president since 1913, with the exception of John F. Kennedy, who tried to shut them down. Most people will remember that JFK was assassinated in 1963."

      Teresa

      by Teresa on February 17th, 2009

    • Obama does say he'll start pulling out from Iraq in "responsible phases," but he also says that the problem with our occupation of Iraq is that it's "single-minded" and that, really, we should be focusing our attentions on Afghanistan and Pakistan. That doesn't sound much better, does it? It doesn't sound like a commitment to peace to me, or an honest response to what's been going on these past years.

      Teresa

      by Teresa on February 17th, 2009

    • WOW!!
      and interesting you'd post that part about the bank also.. There is also that online theory of the banks being responsible for the wars.

      Anonymous

      by Anonymous on February 17th, 2009

    • I feel compelled to say - how I wish every parent could make as thoughtful a response as you have to their child's question - about ANYTHING.

      pntx67

      by pntx67 on January 18th, 2011

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