I’m beginning to think the Government doesn’t want my opinion about the war. They’re relying on intelligence reports, military analysts, satellite surveillance, logistics experts, foreign policy advisors, historians, economists, and battlefield commanders. And nobody from Washington has reached out to ask how the war makes me feel.

For the record: I don’t like it.

War makes me unhappy. I really dislike violence. I really, really, really dislike human suffering. I wish violence and suffering would never happen. When war breaks out, I really want it to stop. The people waging war apparently don’t know it’s horrible. Generals don’t know. Soldiers don’t know. Diplomats don’t know. So it’s up to me to let the people in the middle of the conflict know that war is bad.

Cynics may ask, “Should a person who cannot negotiate peace at Thanksgiving dinner be lecturing nuclear powers about de-escalation?” My answer is, “Of course!”

I’ve never personally been in a war. That makes me an expert in conflict avoidance. It’s pretty simple, really. Just don’t fight. When another country starts shooting rockets or dropping bombs or massacring civilians, ask them to stop. Tell them that we disapprove of violence.

We must remember that people around the globe all share our American values. Everybody wants freedom, democracy, justice, and equality.

Nobody really wants to be a tyrant!

Dictators just need to be reminded, “When you oppress people, they don’t want to be your friend.”

While waiting for the government to contact me, I’ll keep expressing my ignorant opinions as an outside observer. Posting simplistic moral slogans gives me a feeling of wisdom without the burden of understanding.

I don’t need to study history, or understand military strategy, or choose between decisions that will both result in loss of life. I just need to say I feel sad.

(Proverbs 18:2) A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.