There Must Be a Better Way

Hating is not the way.
Killing is not the way.
War is not the way.
Wishing is not the way.

There must be a better way.

My Dad was in the infantry in WW II.
He was a pacifist and conscientious objector with two babies under 2.
He went to the front lines.
We knew he would never shoot another soldier “who could be a father, husband, brother and son.”
A truce halted the fighting before he arrived. Thank God.
He would never talk about the war.

There must be a better way.

My brother was a pacifist.
He was drafted and joined the signal corps.
He went to Vietnam.
He never had to use his gun.
He never talks about that war.
He has pictures of the beautiful Vietnamese people.

There must be a better way.

There is disease, both mental and physical, for soldiers who live through a war.
There is death of children and mothers, animals and livestock, old people and young.
There is destruction of homes and stores, jobs and lives.
There is suffering and grief, pain and anguish for both sides.
These are people, just like us, with hopes and dreams for the future.

There must be a better way.

We can pray.
We can march.
We can sing.
We can shout.
We can watch the news.
We can tune it out.

There must be a better way.

What can you do today to build a world with no war?
Betty Lue