They say the world is governed by powerful people and lived by ordinary ones.  There is a point beyond which people stop listening to speeches about victory. They stop being impressed by displays of strength. They become tired of explanations, excuses, and promises about a better tomorrow.  They simply want their ordinary lives back.

This is one of the most important lessons of our times. People worldwide are beginning to understand that war and violence, however attractively packaged, do not make life good. It only makes living harder. War has its vocabulary. Victory. Defeat. Honour. Territory. Security. Revenge. These are powerful words. They sound impressive from podiums, television studios and social media handles. But they sound very different inside an ordinary home. A mother is not interested in how many nuclear sites have been bombed. A father does not count how many ships are blocked in a strait. A labourer does not measure success by how many military facilities have been destroyed. They have other concerns. A mother wants her child to be safe.........

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