Pictures In the Sand

I recently watched the movie, Merry Christmas (Joyeux Noel), which portrays a very moving account of the first Christmas of WWI when Scottish, American, and German soldiers tenuously lay down arms and spent the next 24 hours in peace. Although it was just a song common to each culture, Silent Night, that broke through the initial barriers of war to spur a guarded and temporary ceasefire, the ensuing hours of mingled celebration opened doors to similarities beyond tradition that began bonding the soldiers as human beings, blurring the lines of hate and suspicion even further. A ceasefire on Christmas Eve, however, was not the real miracle. It was the reluctance to re-shoulder those arms or take aim again at the enemies which seemed less so after seeing pictures of their families and sharing their stories and gifts from home.

This change of heart along the front in 1914 did more to strike fear in the breasts of those safely orchestrating the war from the rear than did the growing number of casualties. Imagine what an epidemic of human understanding and peace could do to the war effort when there clearly needed to be a winner and a loser. But troops were moved and platoons disbanded and WWI continued. And now we find ourselves in the latest of a succession of wars with new enemies and new targets.

I do not question the decision to go to war. Not only is it too late for that, but I also believe that there are some things worth fighting for and I know that the freedoms and bounty that I enjoy are a result of those who sacrificed their lives to ensure it. These brave people must never be dishonored. I do, however, want us to never take these things for granted or forget that militancy is not without devastating cost far beyond a body count. In trying to do whatever we feel is the right thing, I do not want us, as a people, to be caught up in the hate of ignorance and fear. Even among apparent differences, I want to never forget to look for commonalities that bond us as children of the same world community, for peace is not possible otherwise. I want us to remember that our decisions and actions affect not only the lives of those who freely make the choice, but also those of innocent people who did not choose.

Kseniya Simonova, 24, winner of Ukraine’s Got Talent, uses the temporary medium of sand to transcend the barriers of language and unite us in our humanity. In war, everyone loses.