Captain Paul K. Chappell’s WILL WAR EVER END?
The anthropologist Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” This is an idea that finally solidified in my mind while enjoying Captain Paul K. Chappell’s succinct and very important book WILL WAR EVER END? A Soldier’s Vision of Peace For The 21st Century. The author gracefully argues that it’s up to us to create a path to peace with our actions and our peaceful vision, and that peace is not only a destination, it’s a journey. He swiftly makes the case that ending war is possible (we’ve made changes this big before) and it is crucial to our survival that we end it. Our modern weapons are so powerful that war equals total destruction. Contrary to popular myth, violence is not an innate human value. War is so counterintuitive for us that it drives us mad.
This book is only 84 pages, but it’s the biggest book I’ve read in years. It is the very rare kind of book that surprises and transforms, and leads us gently but completely to a revolution in thinking. It could very likely become required reading.
Reviewed by Emily Kischell
Published by Rvive Books - Hardcover - 84 pages - $14.95