War On Our Doorstep

• Sabrina Williams, Grade 12
• Short Story
• 2015

It is the year 2022 and the whole world has been thrown into chaos.
Chaos meaning: Complete disorder and confusion, behavior so unpredictable as to appear random, owing to great sensitivity to small changes in conditions.
The whole world is at war, everyone is at each other’s throats and for what...the most obvious thing, power. No one knows exactly how it happened, but no matter, what’s done is done and now the whole world has to suffer the consequences.
When I was little I remember my dad used to tell me stories about heroes, wars and how it's important for each and every person to do their part, whether it’s fighting on the front line, or even distributing food. My father was a troop; he fought in the Afghanistan War that started in 2001, he told me what it was like to fight, the conditions they went through and how horrible the experience was.
Every time he got shipped off to fight, mum and I would always worry about whether or not he was coming home. Every soldier that gave his life to the war and died was grieved by the entire country. This war has been going on for long over a year and yet there is no sign of it ending and no sign of the unexplainable amount of deaths stopping.
I didn't fully understand war back when I was younger, now at age 18, I understand the whole concept of war and what it leads to. Disaster, grieving, destruction, poverty, the list could go on. But the question I always find myself asking is, why are we repeating the past? I thought we would have learnt from our past mistakes, isn't that what learning about history is all about?
So many families are torn apart by war, which is wrong. Fighting is wrong, overall war is wrong.
Wrong meaning: Not correct or true.
Is there no other way to solve these disturbances in our world other than using violence?
Violence meaning: Behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage or kill someone or something.
Like my old deceased grandmother used to say ‘Violence is never the answer’. But that saying has never been true, as violence is always the answer in our world. It’s something no one can escape, its everywhere in our society even if its only small.
At the end of the year 2012 they banned women from being allowed in the army or involved with the military full stop, but since I saw my dad first being shipped off to fight, I knew right then and there that I wanted to do my part for this country. I want to fight in this war and I won’t stop until I’m in the army. Screw those laws that banned women, when I want something I go after it. Thinking about those stories that my dad used to tell me, I know now that real heroes don’t wear capes…they wear dog tags.