You may say I'm a dreamer

After World War I (1914 - 1918), people said, well, that was the "war to end all wars," and vowed there would be no more world wars. Everyone was firm on that, and stuck to the promise, and sure enough, there was no more world war until the next one (1939 - 1945.)

But that second one ended with mushroom clouds and it became clear to all observers that another war like that would leave Earth smouldering, like a charcoal grill long after everyone has gone home. In fact, the US and its enemies around the world have continued to keep up the MAD pace that began during World War II and technically ended in 1991 when the Cold War ended, but continues in force.

MAD stands for Mutually Assured Destruction, a apropos acronym that means the other guy knows we can wipe them out if they try to wipe us out, so no one pulls out their guns, as it were. Knowing we can press the big red button as soon as missiles are launched in our direction keeps those missiles from being launched, goes the MAD theory, and so far, it works.

So far. 

But something dawned on me the other day.  Have you ever heard the notion that a person can die of a thousand paper cuts? No one little nick will end it all, not even a hundred (although that would sting a mite!) but keep it up and soon the victim will know the heartbreak of bleeding to death.

And it seems to me that we are in World War III after all, but instead of entire countries and continents going at in in combat, we see groups defending certain doctrines or religions going on the attack, and sometimes it's just people who like to fight and hurt people and sometimes it seems to be people who are entrenched in hatred passed down from generations past in their tribes.

A massacre here, a mass shooting here, a plane is taken out of the sky, arson claims lives and property, and down the line it goes. We're not dropping atom bombs on each other, but slowly but surely we are whittling away the population of the world.

The response will remind you of one of those neighborhood feuds. The new people down the street with the 4 cars and a motorcycle take up all the parking spots, and Joe down on the corner blows his leaves all over Marge and Nick's yard, and the O'Hoolahans and the Nessmans haven't been talking since the older O'Hoolahan boy stood up the Nessman girl before the Ring Dance and no one sees the people who keep their house dark all the time. The kids call the place Morbid Manor. 

The world situation is really a lot of neighborhood ruckuses writ largest. People are people, with all their good qualities and bad, and even though we say we are inured to pain and unable to be surprised anymore, it still knocks us off our feet to hear that some guy decided to kill 50 people who are of a different faith for no other reason than that he dislike immigrants.  If it ever really does get to the point that they don't cover these enormities on the news, it will be time to give up.

I've been philosophical of late, and I just came up with the totally original idea of issuing every citizen of the world a hat that says "Make The World Great Again." 

Imagine all the people living life in peace.