Nerf Guns

As I was discussing Veterans' Day with my students today, we obviously got on the topic of war. During the discussion, one of my students raises his hand and asks (in all seriousness) 'Ms. K., why can't all wars just be fought with Nerf Guns?'. Good question. Why must we have all this senseless loss of life? I believe as a nation, we have become detached from the idea of war and the horrible things that go along with it. We hear about all the people who died on any given day, but do we really take the time to realize and mourn for the loss of a human life? Someone lost their brother, mother, father, daughter or son, and we simply go on with our lives. Today we honor those who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice to serve our country. Let their sacrifices not be something we think of once or twice a year. We say 'thank you' to those who have given their lives so we can live our lives the way we do. I pray that one day we might change the way we live our lives so that sacrifice of life is unnecessary. I pray that we, as a human race, will change our hearts and make war something people read about in books rather than see on the news every night. Bring on the Nerf Guns.