So many lives lost – men, women and children. And for what? A piece land that can really be shared if people aren’t so selfish as to claim it as only theirs? Struggling to maintain control over a country or government where the leadership no longer has the moral mandate or ascendancy to rule it? In the end, it is always the people who suffer the most.

Innocent lives of men, women and children sacrificed senselessly. Violence for violence. In war all suffer regardless of gender. There is no gender issue. Sexual violence has become a weapon…to humiliate and degrade, to destroy a person’s self-worth, to kill.

Amidst all the violence, tears and fears, cameras capture children’s innocent smiles, indescribable tears of pain for the loss of loved ones and lives. Is it really all worth it, to maim and claim lives as a show of power? It sadly exists among many nations – Syria, Libya, Sierra Leone, Myanmar, just to name a few.

I react so strongly to the description of humans as ”collateral damage.” Humans are not like properties to be described as “collaterals.” But it is what the victims have been considered in conflict-torn areas. People deserve better than to be called or even be treated as such.

The struggle for peace seems endless. People fight and make peace but the violence continues. It takes a lot more than just words to achieve peace. It takes commitment and a true and selfless desire to have peace without taking advantage of another. It takes continuous efforts from all parties to maintain and keep the peace, simply because we have diverse cultures with different beliefs and perspectives. We can only hope and pray for peace one day.