Yesterday’s enemies are today’s friends and today’s friends are tomorrow’s enemies, such is the way of the world, and wars of the world. All these wars cause enormous bloodshed, destruction and suffering to those affected. Therefore, would it not be much simpler to have war games for all of the world’s leaders and elites every few years? We have Olympic Games every four years where the world’s athletes from different countries compete. And many of these countries are hostile to each other, yet they participate in the Olympics. So if enemies can participate for sport, why not for war games? How could this be arranged? All the leaders and elites of the world would have to lead by example, instead of leading from their political platforms, palaces and offshore tax havens, while the ordinary people have to do the dirty work in wars. The world’s leaders and elites would all be in the front lines first. A venue could be arranged in a deserted area and the people of the world could watch via satellite TV their courageous leaders and other elites leading the charge in the war games.
In these games we could have groups made up of all the world’s war mongering politicians. These politicians who started wars with their mouths, would now get to experience themselves their thirst for battle and be attired in combat gear, weapons at the ready. And those retired war mongering politicians who now are “peace emissaries,” and who sometimes profit from war, but are now advisers and “experts” on the need for war--they could also take part in the games and see and feel what they missed while in office.
Politicians could choose their sides on the battlefield, and perhaps even cross the floor of the theatre of war when circumstances warranted. A little treason would be allowed. After all, most politicians like to save their own skins as the saying goes. The politicians would also get to know the meaning of “a measured response” on bombing civilians as the bomber aircrafts drop their deadly cargoes on them as participants on the battlefield. Of course, the war games would not be games without an arms dealers group. These arms dealers would be able to choose their side in the war games, though that might be difficult, as many arms dealers have been known to supply both sides in many conflicts. Still, it would be interesting to see the arms dealers under fire: then they would be able to appreciate the “successes” of their armaments as heat-seeking missiles chase them all over the battlefield. They would also get to see and feel the horrific effect of cluster bombs in action - one of their hideous products - on themselves and their elite war-pushing participants.
A world’s bankers group should also be allowed to take part - for this would be a non-discriminatory battlefield - then they would be able to appreciate the power of their money that financed many wars over the years. Now they would be able to be financial heroes on the battlefield instead of on Wall St. Then they might realize the meaning of “filthy lucre” or “blood money” used to finance wars.
The war games would not be games without some of our finest corporate and business executives taking a leading role, for as I said earlier this would be a non-discriminatory battlefield and communists and capitalists would get to share each others’ pain. Many of the corporate communist/fascist corporations have profited enormously from selling war products to all sides in wars. So surely they should be on the battlefield as well, seeing and feeling their products perform first-hand.
Just imagine all of these elites in combat gear and in hand-to-hand combat, all of them leading by example and putting their lives on the line. All those gung-ho warriors for wars worldwide would now be able to experience the very thing they advocate. They would be able to profit from this experience, though this kind of personal profitable experience might not be their bag, as the saying goes. Still, the savings would be enormous to the ordinary peoples of the world and they would all get to see their “brave” and “honorable” leaders in action, leading by example. So, in the name of leadership and equality, should we have war games for all the world’s leaders?
Stephen J. Gray
January 20, 2008.
