Christmas Truce Grinch
We are two days away from the 100th anniversary of the 1914 "Christmas Truce", when the British, French and German soldiers on the Western Front agreed to stop shooting for a day and commingle. (And even played football AKA soccer.) A number of well-meaning writers have penned essays on this, saying it shows that enemies can "recognize their common humanity" and that this somehow points the way to peace. I have to disagree.
First of all, WWI did not become more humane after the truce -- it got considerably worse. Atrocities such as unrestricted submarine warfare ("lusitania" was used as a verb for the duration of the conflict), chemical warfare, and the 20th Century's first genocide appeared.
(Sidebar: The "Paris Gun" was also a war crime. It was an engineering marvel, the first time humanity had sent an object into the stratosphere. But it was also indiscriminate killing, for the gunners had no idea what they were hitting, beyond the city of Paris. I have always thought it would have been useful to hang some of those involved -- it might have given pause to those ordering area bombmings in WWII.)
Second, as a step towards peace, the Truce went absolutely nowhere. It was never repeated, though the war would continue for three more Christmases. The thing that brought peace was waging effective war, leading to the total military defeat and dismantling of the three Central Power empires.
I am well aware of the counter-holiday-spirit of this post. But as appealing as the prospect may be, cancer is not treated by herbs but by nasty, cell-killing things like radiation and the near-poisoning known as chemotherapy. Wars are ended when one side is beaten thoroughly enough so that it loses the will to fight. And it helps immensely when the cause it was fighting for goes on the ash heap of history.
First of all, WWI did not become more humane after the truce -- it got considerably worse. Atrocities such as unrestricted submarine warfare ("lusitania" was used as a verb for the duration of the conflict), chemical warfare, and the 20th Century's first genocide appeared.
(Sidebar: The "Paris Gun" was also a war crime. It was an engineering marvel, the first time humanity had sent an object into the stratosphere. But it was also indiscriminate killing, for the gunners had no idea what they were hitting, beyond the city of Paris. I have always thought it would have been useful to hang some of those involved -- it might have given pause to those ordering area bombmings in WWII.)
Second, as a step towards peace, the Truce went absolutely nowhere. It was never repeated, though the war would continue for three more Christmases. The thing that brought peace was waging effective war, leading to the total military defeat and dismantling of the three Central Power empires.
I am well aware of the counter-holiday-spirit of this post. But as appealing as the prospect may be, cancer is not treated by herbs but by nasty, cell-killing things like radiation and the near-poisoning known as chemotherapy. Wars are ended when one side is beaten thoroughly enough so that it loses the will to fight. And it helps immensely when the cause it was fighting for goes on the ash heap of history.