The War in Iraq is Over

but

What Have We Learned?

On May 20th, 2003, troops from several countries, but mainly from the United States, invaded Iraq. At its height America deployed well over one hundred thousand military troops in Iraq. There have been almost 5000 American lives lost in the war, and tens of thousands of other casualties both physical and emotional. At least one trillion dollars will have been spent. At the end of 2012, all American troops will have been withdrawn.
But what have we learned from this nightmare, especially as believers?
We learned that we can glorify war and assign it some lofty goals.
We learned that people lie to push through their agendas.
We learned that Iraqi oil did not pay for the war.
We learned that the Iraqi government is very corrupt.
We learned that by instinct, Americans will rally around almost any war at first.
We learned that while people are perishing, we can still go to Disneyland and enjoy our own pleasures.
We learned that politicians use war to leverage their own political causes.
We learned that fear is a great tool in manipulating people.
We learned that we can watch war live on television while eating chips and dip.
We learned that many soldiers who lived will never be the same.
We learned that America chooses her wars according to the personal perspectives of its leader.
We learned that we could not live with the cruelty of Saddam, but we can easily live with the unspeakable horrors in the Sudan.
We learned that companies made huge profits in the Iraq War.
We learned that some politicians had vested interests in some of those companies.
We learned that war turns some soldiers into murderers.
We learned that terrorism can be used as leverage for increased military spending.
We learned that while people lie dead in the streets and others suffer intensely in hospital beds, we can claim victory like a giant pep rally on the deck of a war ship.
We learned that war has become very antiseptic in its presentation.
We learned that believers can pray that God will help Americans kill more effectively.
We learned that we really don’t care at all about the Iraqi people.
We learned that war in general is one massive lie.
But tragically, and if we are honest, we haven’t really learned a thing.