These are they whose youth was violently severed by war and death; a word on the telephone, a scribbled line on paper, and their future ceased. They have built up their lives again, but their safety is not absolute, their fortress not impregnable.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on how war abruptly disrupts the lives of young individuals, leaving them to rebuild in an uncertain environment.
Winifred Holtby's quote poignantly captures the tragic interruption of youth and potential due to the ravages of war and death. It underscores the fragility of life, where a simple message can signify a great loss, and while many find the strength to rebuild their lives, the reality of ongoing insecurity remains a daunting challenge, as their newfound safety is always at risk and their defenses against future calamities are never foolproof.
In practice
This quote could be shared during a remembrance event honoring the lives disrupted by war.
We're so busy resigning ourselves to the inevitable that we don't even ask if it is inevitable. We've got to have courage, to take our future into our hands. If the law is oppressive, we must change the law. If tradition is obstructive, we must break tradition. If the system is unjust, we must reform the system.
Air Power is, above all, a psychological weapon - and only short-sighted soldiers, too battle-minded, underrate the importance of psychological factors in war.
Smell that? You smell that? Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning.
We come across thirty or so hurried graves with makeshift wooden markers. 'Private Edwards, E.', a number, and that was all. Fourteen days ago he was alive, thinking feeling, hoping... If war was a game of cards, I'd say someone was cheating.
We know now that in modern warfare, fought on any considerable scale, there can be no possible economic gain for any side. Win or lose, there is nothing but waste and destruction.
In Vietnam, our soldiers came back and they were reviled as baby killers, in shame and humiliation. It isn't happening now, but I will tell you, there has never been an American army as violent and murderous as our army has been in Iraq.
You can't have this kind of war. There just aren't enough bulldozers to scrape the bodies off the streets.
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