The soldiers paraded down the streets of towns large and small across the land. Colorful battle flags whipped in the wind above the columns. The citizens, raised to a frenzy by the euphoria of victory at last, lined the streets, cheered and clapped and proclaimed the soldiers Saviors of the Country.
Soon after the victory parades ended the people became uneasy. A feeling of disquiet crept into their lives. We do not have an enemy, they lamented. We have no one to fear or to hate. In their desperation for an enemy to confront, the people turned on each other. Alliances formed, hateful slogans were written and broadcast nation-wide. Accusations, lies, and half-truths became common. Finger pointing and petty grievances grew into intractable animosities that divided the people into opposing groups. Battle lines were drawn, and the people went to war among themselves.
When the war ended there were no victory parades, no brass bands playing rousing patriotic music, no colorful battle flags whipping bravely in the wind. Stunned survivors, clad in rags and tatters, stood amid the ashes and asked, “Why did we do this to ourselves?”