Drowning in hatred

“Amara, late to class again”, my teacher says rolling her eyes, like she usually does when she is about to get angry. I stand still I don’t dare answer. Anything I say could be dangerous for me. “Why are you standing like a statue, care to explain” she says in a more demanding way. I can’t tell her that I had to do my homework early in the morning because I was busy watching news about the typical topic: wars. So I just answer, “My younger brother puked on me, when I was about to leave because of that I missed my bus. I am very sorry “Even if I write you down now it will still happen again, so just go and have a seat,” “Ok”, I answer proud of myself for coming up with such a good lie. I don’t usually lie, but sometimes you have to right? But it gets better. As if I am dreaming my teacher announces our new topic is political reason for wars. With this topic I can finally boost my oral grade. Well actually I don’t really need to boost it I already have an A+ in Advanced politics. “So your first task is going to be to analyze the text given to you and take notes of your opinion about the question if wars are positive or not. And why” This was going to be so easy. Of course wars are negative. All they result to is killing people and hurting families. I am so concentrated on writing my opinion that I don’t even realize that our time is almost up. I quickly end my sentence. Directly after I am done my teacher asks: “Who would like to volunteer and share his opinion with us. Ashley you start followed by Luca. Last but not least hmm… Amara” Yessssss! Ashley starts reading her Text, but it’s nothing like I expected. Her Text states that wars are positive because they result to solving conflicts and independency of countries. And usually after wars a nation is able to build itself stronger than in the beginning. And all people become happy again. Luca’s Text is quite similar. Why do they all speak about the beginning and end of the war and not what happens during a war? I start reading out my text “In my opinion wars a negative due to the catastrophe they bring with them. During wars many people lose their families and houses. Many also become homeless and have to start living on the street because they have no other choice. Many babies die in the stomach of their mothers because the mothers are not able to find medical help in all the chaos a war brings with it. Instead of wars I think we should start communicating. We should all live in a strong bond. We shouldn’t be fighting against each other. All the bombs and machine guns used in a war are not even climate friendly. We are gradually destroying our own home. How can you fight a war when you have no place to fight it” I feel really proud after I am done reading because I know what I said is the only correct thing. We are all from the same kind so why fight each other when we can dialogue.” “If some wars hadn’t taken place we wouldn’t be here having the right of education, walking around freely without being misused or shot,” Ashley says questioning my opinion. “That’s in the past in which there were actual difficulties that needed to be fought about because the wrong party did not want to admit its mistake. Could you give me a reason why Israel is fighting Palestine? Or a reason why Russia is fighting Ukraine? What does that have to do with fighting for their rights,” I say boldly, Ashley stays quiet. “Before the lesson ends all I want to tell you is that, we are drowning in hatred.” I see my teacher smile bitterly before she says the lesson is ended.