I’ve paid heed to this stupid war since it started. I’ve even, most of the time, had an active interest in it. But my emotions to date have really only been anger, disappointment, and disgust at our governments’ involvement – and if I'm honest, disbelief and mistrust of the reasons and motives why anyone would want to join a uniformed hate-troop like the army or the police. But today I saw on the news something which grabbed hold of my heart and squeezed it really fucking hard. Two parents, a mum and dad naturally, talking about their son who died in Iraq recently. The looks on their faces, the emotions in their eyes - you could see straight through to their souls. It was hard and harrowing but at the same time totally beautiful. And made me at once feel distraught yet gave me a bit more faith in mankind. They were both calm. Both reasonable. Just talking about how much they had, did, love him – with smiles on their faces. It humbled and crumbled me like nothing in the last 2 years of the war has done. Maybe it made me think of my relationship with my own parents I don’t know, such is the subconscious, but it was without a doubt the most human thing id seen on the news relating to the war. Every negative idea I adhere to about people who join the army in this day and age briefly subsided. This war is destroying lives and yet these people - looking off into the middle distance and smiling, seeing him there I suspect in their minds eye - these people didn’t hate. At all. It touched me. Because too much of this is about governments and military and propaganda and marches and petitions. And we the people forget about the reality. Or maybe I have done. But I shall try to not do in future. Because whether I agree with it or not, I can’t forget the look in that couples eyes. To be honest it wasn’t even the look. Just the air they had about them: loving, calm, accepting - but sad, very, very heartbreakingly sad.