What Does Victory Bring?

Great. We won the war. We only lost 80% of our soldiers, but it's okay because we won. There are families who lost their relatives, but I repeat, we won. Most of the survivors are in mental hospitals, but we came out victorious. We won. We're happy.

It simply doesn't work like that. War can't bring happiness. Wars are fought to bring peace and justice. Regardless who is victorious, lives will be spared and people will suffer. How can a country be happy after a victory when it has lost so many lives? Billy is happy after the war is over: "He was happy. He was warm. There was food in the wagon, and wine-and a camera, and a stamp collection, and a stuffed owl, and a mantel clock that ran on changes of barometric pressure." (PDF). Then, the animals make him cry: "When Billy saw the condition of his means of transportation, he burst into tears. He hadn't cried about anything else in the war." (PDF).

Ironic, isn't it? He suffers, watches people die, is tortured, and the only thing that makes him cry, are some horses. This shows that even though he survived Dresden and came out victorious, he can't be fully happy about it. The coffin shaped wagon can represent that even tough they survived, people still died. If victory doesn't bring happiness, what does it bring? Why are wars fought, if no side will be happy in the end? They are fought because they have to be: "'It had to be done,' Rumfoord told Billy, speaking of the destruction of Dresden. 'I know,' said Billy. 'That's war.' 'I know. I'm not complaining.'" (PDF).

We were asked before if war was ever justifiable. I've always been an anti-war person myself, so my answer would immediately be a no. But some wars have changed things for good. The French Revolution is a great example. We can say it was victorious because it helped changed our system. In other words, as we learned last year from Confucius, wars are for the good (or bad) of the whole. The outcome of a war may bring satisfaction to a whole, but to an individual who lived it, it can bring pain. I always agreed that the good of the whole is better than the good of the individual, but I've changed my mind. In war, this doesn't apply. Differences can be solved by talking and discussing. Words are stronger weapons that guns. Ideas can bring both victory and happiness.

Great. We won the war. We didn't lose any of our people and we won. No family lost their relatives and I repeat, we won. We were all survivors and came out victorious. We won. We're happy. Can it work like that?