War is the hell we use to find humanity.

War is the hell we use to find humanity.

It is no secret, war is hell. It’s quite ironic that the greatest convergences of humans leaves many wounded or in coffins, children without parents, and husbands and wives as widows. So why do we engage in it time and time again? What positives can possibly come from it? While there is an argument to be made for the power, wealth, and land there is to gain at war, there are greater gains. Somewhere within the blood soaked fields and piles of abandoned corpses arises a truth of humanity that cannot be found elsewhere. That truth is that there is a human connection that can only be formed in the times of ultimate human desperation, a place where our deepest biases can be surpassed by our need and desire for a greater good. There is no better example of this than the 54th regiment, one of the first African- American U.S. military units. The image above is of their final battle which took place at Fort Wagner where they fought on the front line. Although the image contains much blood and gore, and ultimately a defeat of the 54th regiment, they had already achieved the ultimate victory. Through war and chaos, the 54th regiment was able to break open racial barriers in the U.S. Before the Civil war, there would never have even been consideration of an integrated military, but as our country divulged in two separate directions, the roots of racial acceptance and equality appeared. By allowing the integration of the U.S. military, the U.S. silently acknowledged a human truth that would continue to be disputed for centuries to come: that all people really are equal. By the African-American soldiers being permitted to fight, the message was more than we need them to win the war, it said they are our equals. In the image above, with the uniforms on the African-American soldiers no longer appeared to be the mistreated citizens they were, but they were fighting members of the Union like their white counterparts. While it is hard to believe that anything positive could surface from the great wars that captured the lives of hundreds of thousands, it is in these scenarios that it is easier to lose prejudice and acknowledge the truths of humanity.   

"54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment | Wikiwand." Wikiwand. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2016<http://www.wikiwand.com/en/54th_Massachusetts_Infantry_Regiment>