What starts a war?

I suppose it could be anything really. It could be something as silly as an insult that triggers a violent emotional reaction among military leaders. It could be something as innocuous as a misunderstanding or misreading of intent. Or, it could be something tripe and contrived, a scenario wholly concocted for the purpose of starting a war–it could be intentional and orchestrated.

When a war first begins, few people are usually in on the reasons why it started. Common folk are simply going about their business when all hell breaks loose. What’s going on here? Hey, wait a minute, I didn’t sign up for this! I don’t want to fight to the death over this — I don’t want to fight at all! But nevertheless, once the battle’s begun, once the bomb’s dropped, once the fists start to fly or the first shots ring out, denying the situation could only lead to death or defeat.

Thus, it is absolutely imperative to realize when one is caught up in a war, even if, or perhaps especially if, it is not a war of one’s choosing.

You may be wondering how this relates to current events, or it may be self-explanatory. Regardless, the provocative question arises: Are we at war? We are certainly in the midst of heated conflict, and any reasonable person must realize that culture wars are tearing our country apart:

• America’s culture wars aren’t new — and don’t have predictable endings

• These 7 culture wars dominated 2021 and will haunt the years ahead

• The culture wars of the past several decades are intensifying

• How the ‘Culture War’ Could Break Democracy

But are we at war war?

The corrupted and contested 2020 election, the many unanswered questions surrounding January 6th, the incessant political infighting, the attempted political assassinations–all of this and more clearly indicates that our country is suffering a political war. This is a step beyond culture wars, which are largely fought over conflicting values. Political warfare often has unintended consequences, not the least of which is the onset of outright war.

Given the full scope of current events, the fact that we are at war, at least culturally and politically, seems an unavoidable and undeniable conclusion.

But are we at War?

With all the speculation about World War III and the ongoing war in Ukraine, it would be appropriate to approach this question in the conventional sense as well. Obviously we are not at war in the traditional sense, as in the Civil War or the Revolutionary War–there are not millions of Americans running around with weapons looking to shoot and kill the enemy.

But, does that mean that we are not at war? What is the purpose of war? To conquer an enemy? To lay claim to resources? To shape political boundaries?

What if the objective to conquer an enemy, assert dominance, lay claim to resources, and impose political will could be achieved without firing a shot?

This again is political warfare, but what if the outcome is the subjugation of an entire nation? What if the result is an inability to utilize national resources? What if the consequence was economic collapse? What if the conclusion was cultural destruction and the evisceration of heritage?

Is that not the same thing as being conquered?

It is through the lens of war that we should evaluate current circumstance. Call it cultural warfare, political warfare, psychological warfare, modern warfare, or whatever–we are at war. America is at war with an invisible enemy, and I’m not talking about the coronavirus that is killing fully vaccinated people at an alarming rate. We are at war with forces that are actively working to destroy our country.

Already our national identity has been shattered. The value of our currency is being decimated and our economy is facing systemic collapse. Many people believe that America is undergoing a controlled demolition as part of the transition to a new world order — and that this is all part of the Great Reset.

Our country is clearly divided, and as things continue to accelerate from bad to worse Americans will begin to turn on each other with viscous instinct. What will a hungry mother do to feed her starving baby? What will a desperate father do to feed his hungry family? What if there was no more money in the bank? What if the banks shutdown? What if there were no groceries at the store? What if there was no gas at the pump? What if the lights went out, the net went down, the stove didn’t work, the….

In times of war, one must think about the unthinkable.

We are at war. Grow a garden. Get to know your neighbors. While no one knows what lies ahead, wisdom says you don’t want to go it alone.