War is never the answer to me. I believe in peace and negotiation when it comes to conflict resolution. But I am not naive. I know that sometimes war is unavoidable. In 1968, I was 14 years old, and everything that the 60s represents, I have a memory of. This includes the Vietnam War. In my life, I’ve dated several men that served in the military, most notably, the Vietnam War. One, in particular, was a recon marine. I loved him very much. Knowing him, inspired me to learn as much as I could about that conflict. I have a good collection of books on the topic. The conflict in the Middle East is draining to me. It is a conflict that I pray will not escalate further. Why should this next generation have to feel what I’ve felt about war. If we, as humans on this planet, are capable of learning anything about preserving humanity, then we must learn how to resolve our differences without violence. In conflict, some may prevail, but in the cost to human life – there are no winners, only devastation.