[Joshua takes his time sipping his fresh tea. He sets the cup down after a moment and holds out his hand.]
It depends on the war. World War I brought about chemical warfare, something so horrifying that the world agreed to never use it again. World War II brought atomic bombs to the table, which then led to the nuclear arms race in the Cold War. In all three, more efficient ways of killing vast amounts of other people were invented, and not all of them were humane, such as the concentration camps.
[He lifts the other hand, like a balance.]
However, if not for the Cold War, we might never have landed on the moon, thought to be an impossible feat. If not for World War II, then we may not have gotten out of the Great Depression as quick as we had. In some cases, without war, some countries would never have gained or regained their independence. Great strides in science and technology were made, regardless of whether they would be used in war or not.
[Now, Joshua puts both hands down, folding them neatly in front of him.]
Some things were ignored, though. The treatment of prisoners of war, for example. There'd been a convention to give better treatment to those soldiers and civilians, but they're still treated like garbage.
The changes this world will make, the good and bad, I don't know. It won't just be this world where those changes take place. It will effect all worlds. The choices we make, the actions we take, those will all be on our shoulders collectively.
[He leans back in his chair, tapping his foot.]
Life is not always a blessing, Hiro. Neither is death always a curse. They can be either, just as they can be either good or evil. They're a balance, and sometimes that balance can only be achieved by adding or taking more of one thing.
no subject
It depends on the war. World War I brought about chemical warfare, something so horrifying that the world agreed to never use it again. World War II brought atomic bombs to the table, which then led to the nuclear arms race in the Cold War. In all three, more efficient ways of killing vast amounts of other people were invented, and not all of them were humane, such as the concentration camps.
[He lifts the other hand, like a balance.]
However, if not for the Cold War, we might never have landed on the moon, thought to be an impossible feat. If not for World War II, then we may not have gotten out of the Great Depression as quick as we had. In some cases, without war, some countries would never have gained or regained their independence. Great strides in science and technology were made, regardless of whether they would be used in war or not.
[Now, Joshua puts both hands down, folding them neatly in front of him.]
Some things were ignored, though. The treatment of prisoners of war, for example. There'd been a convention to give better treatment to those soldiers and civilians, but they're still treated like garbage.
The changes this world will make, the good and bad, I don't know. It won't just be this world where those changes take place. It will effect all worlds. The choices we make, the actions we take, those will all be on our shoulders collectively.
[He leans back in his chair, tapping his foot.]
Life is not always a blessing, Hiro. Neither is death always a curse. They can be either, just as they can be either good or evil. They're a balance, and sometimes that balance can only be achieved by adding or taking more of one thing.