Battle For Earth: If This Is War

“This is war!”

So my son tells me

And my daughter agrees

But I have some questions

I don’t really like wars

Or making enemies

So tell me …

 

If this is war

What are we fighting for?

 

We are fighting for the earth:

For the birds of the air

And the fish of the sea

For the sick in the villages

And the hungry in the cities

 

If this is war

Where are the battlefields?

 

The planet is our battlefield:

The smoky plains of the skies

And the murky streams of the oceans

The burning lungs of the forests

And the aching hearts of the people

 

If this is war

Who is the enemy?

 

The enemy is our separation:

Hiding behind fences of politics

And sheltering in dugouts of religion

Lurking under shadows of economics

And camouflaged in masks of progress

 

If this is war

Who are our allies?

 

Our allies are ordinary people:

The luminous tribes of the South

And the caring villages of the North

The rising tides in the East

And the changing winds in the West

 

If this is war

What are the weapons?

 

The weapons are our faith:

Our fortress of courage to hope

And our bedrock of belief in justice

Our wellspring of creativity for solutions

And our fire of passion for change

 

If this is war

Where is the battle?

 

The battle is where you are:

Around the fires of your homesteads

And the tables of your boardrooms

In the aisles of your supermarkets

And on the wires of your networks

 

If this is war

Who are the losers?

 

The losers are prejudice and vice:

For judgement is the father of fear

And power is the mother of pride

For hatred is the child of ignorance

And greed is the orphan of isolation

 

If this is war

Who are the winners?

 

The winners are life and love:

For diversity flourishes with freedom

And hope blooms with compassion

For development spreads with peace

And purpose calls to us all

 

This is war then!

So my children tell me

And I for one believe them

I still don’t like the talk of battles

But I think they are right

The future – their future –

Is worth fighting for

 

 

Copyright 2007

 

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