THEM is US: War affects everyone

In a war, there is no winner.

No one starts a war defending something of value to them - their land, their resources, their people. It is always the one with interest in another's possession or property that will likely take steps to get what it wants, including employing violent means.

I caught a sermon of a priest last night (St. Cecilia Parish in Boston, Massachusetts), and he was very affected by the war between Ukraine and Russia. His opening statement puzzled me: "The hopeless start a war."

Russia, or Vladimir Putin, hardly seem hopeless to me. I understand there is deep history behind the animosity between the former Soviet states. And beyond nuclear weapons and valuable natural resources, I will probably never comprehend the breadth and depth of this conflict.

The priest, however, was looking at war from another perspective. What he grieved more about was how people outside of the two nations cannot seem to empathize with the attacks happening half-way across the world because it was so "far from them."

So he painted a clearer picture: them is us.

The citizens of Ukraine caught in the crossfires, who will likely be collateral damage, who will flee not just their homes but their hometown, are people like you and me. They are husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, children.

If we cannot wrap our heads around the fight ensuing around them, that they are in danger of being hit by bombs or weapons, we have to see the people in Ukraine as living lives like we do.

These people are working, going to school, raising children, taking care of elderly parents, or the sick. They're having dinner at home, going to the market, doing the normal things we do.

And while we share almost similar experiences to a certain extent, we have absolutely no idea what it feels like to exist in a war zone, dreading that any minute a father could be killed, or a mother injured by some stray bullet or a wayward missile.

Nevertheless, it does not mean being numb to the idea that we can only feel token sympathy and forget about it. The Boston priest urged his parishioners and everyone attending mass virtually to put themselves in the position of people in Ukraine, who are terrified not only of having their lives upended but because of the very real possibility they could die without the chance to defend themselves.

THEM is US.

Yes, that war between Russia and Ukraine will impact the rest of the world. It is not just about a fight between two nations. There is economics. There is politics. Oil supply will be affected raising transport costs and ultimately, the cost of goods. That will resonate worldwide.

For the Philippines, government has to worry about the overseas workers trapped there, how to repatriate them or keep them safe. And while they may not be our family, they are someone's father, mother, brother, or sister.

War in this day and age is more vicious. Technology now allows us not only to hear or read about what is happening thousands of miles away. It enables us to witness the goings-on in real time. We often view what has happened multiple times until it becomes ingrained in our minds.

Can we remain numb to that? Can we go on with our lives, and not feel a sense of dread ourselves that it could've been us?

In empathizing, we are not asked to stop living our lives. We must go on. It is the ability to keep moving forward that gives us hope.

Incidentally, the priest exhorted people to not lose hope, even in the face of adversity. Because in losing hope, we become cynical, desperate, and negative. And that will lead us to do what is unacceptable, harmful, and despicable.

There is no winner in war. It will end. We pray sooner than later. The aggressor may have achieved its mission. But at what cost? And in a bid to defend against the attacks, countless lives would have been lost as well.

War is always at the expense of lives. Is humanity not worth it to keep the peace?

For now, let us not be numb to war, atrocity, violence, whether it is happening near us, outside of us, or around us.

Prayer can move mountains. It can also end wars. It is the least we can do from afar that will be most effective. And then we must feel.

Images from Unsplash