THE PROSPERITY OF WAR AND THE POVERTY IT LEAVES BEHIND

THE PROSPERITY OF WAR AND THE POVERTY IT LEAVES BEHIND

War can generate factories, contracts, employment, and rising economic output, creating the appearance of prosperity. Yet no measure of production can fully account for the lives disrupted, the trust diminished, the public debt accumulated, the opportunities postponed, or the generations burdened by its aftermath.

The prosperity created by war is often concentrated in the machinery of conflict, while its costs are dispersed throughout society—in higher prices, strained public finances, deferred investment in education and infrastructure, wounded communities, grieving families, and the invisible erosion of hope.

A nation certainly has the right and responsibility to defend itself against genuine threats. But even when military action is necessary, wisdom requires recognizing that the ultimate purpose of security is not perpetual mobilization, but the preservation of human life and the conditions in which peace can flourish.

Civilization reaches its highest achievement not when it becomes more efficient at producing instruments of war, but when it becomes more faithful in cultivating justice, strengthening communities, protecting the vulnerable, and building a future where fewer lives are consumed by conflict.

For the true measure of national prosperity is not how much wealth war can create, but how much humanity peace can preserve.

Pastor Steven G. Lee
St. GMC Corps
July 29, 2026

U.S.-Iran Updates: U.S. carries out new strikes on Iran after Trump threatens "we're going to be hitting them very hard"
By Tucker Reals, Khaled Wassef, Duarte Dias
Updated on: July 29, 2026 / 10:31 PM EDT / CBS News
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/us-iran-war-trump-saudi-arabia-strait-of-hormuz/