Today its exactly 100 years since the one of the dumbest decisions in the history of our species were taken. Gavriello Princip pulled the trigger on the first world war. And since the second world war was pretty much an effect of the first one, also by extension the second one. Of course he likely had no idea he was giving us the two most masive confkicts in human history. And neither did the other leaders making equally as moronic decisions in the following days and weeks. No they did not know they were starting a world war. But let's be perfectly honest with ourselves here, Gavriello Princip (and the leaders of europe) knew one thing perfectly well. That they were starting a war.
They knowingly and willingly in the midst of a financial boom, at a time when they had so many potential futures, decided time had come to go to war. The reasons where nationalism. The reasons were revenge. The reasons were quite frankly nonstubstansial. And the decision they took shaped the century to follow. Why am I reminding you of this then? This stuff that you know (or at least should know) perfectly well. Not to tell you that they did something incredibly stupid. No to remind you that dark as fraught with conflict as our world is today we still learned from their mistakes. Sure there are still people digging trenches (that would be russia on crimmea) but a hundred years ago every damn country in Europe were doing it. Today 100 years later we as a continent (or well most of one) came together as one and elected officials, for each of our countries, to solve our problems peacefully by the negotiating table instead of leaving our sons, fathers and brothers (as well as in the case of a present day conflict our daughters, mothers and sisters) dying, while pissing themselves, in shallow muddy graves.
And yet there is still nationalism, those who would try to undo the system that we have set in place to prevent this tragedy from ever repeating itself, those who for non substantial reasons seek war and conflict. They don't have massive support but at times there only takes one man holding a gun. Gavriello Princip proved that exactly 100 years ago and we must not forget what our principles may cost us and our children.
They knowingly and willingly in the midst of a financial boom, at a time when they had so many potential futures, decided time had come to go to war. The reasons where nationalism. The reasons were revenge. The reasons were quite frankly nonstubstansial. And the decision they took shaped the century to follow. Why am I reminding you of this then? This stuff that you know (or at least should know) perfectly well. Not to tell you that they did something incredibly stupid. No to remind you that dark as fraught with conflict as our world is today we still learned from their mistakes. Sure there are still people digging trenches (that would be russia on crimmea) but a hundred years ago every damn country in Europe were doing it. Today 100 years later we as a continent (or well most of one) came together as one and elected officials, for each of our countries, to solve our problems peacefully by the negotiating table instead of leaving our sons, fathers and brothers (as well as in the case of a present day conflict our daughters, mothers and sisters) dying, while pissing themselves, in shallow muddy graves.
And yet there is still nationalism, those who would try to undo the system that we have set in place to prevent this tragedy from ever repeating itself, those who for non substantial reasons seek war and conflict. They don't have massive support but at times there only takes one man holding a gun. Gavriello Princip proved that exactly 100 years ago and we must not forget what our principles may cost us and our children.
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