I wrote this piece more than four years ago, when the conflict between Russia and Ukraine was in its infancy. I put it aside for editing and then forgot about it. Today I finished it. While Justin Trudeau is no longer Prime Minister, the rest remain true.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has framed Canada’s response to the war in Ukraine as offering pretty much every imaginable aid – except for taking part in the battle. It is both an understandable and disturbing position.

He has been quoted as saying “The thing that we have so far avoided, and will continue to need to avoid, is a situation in which NATO’s forces are in direct conflict with Russian soldiers.”

I agree that such confrontation should be avoided. I’m a little concerned with using the word “need.” It seems to me that Trudeau is signaling that Canada will not now or ever get involved in such a military confrontation.

From a logistics point, of view he is probably correct. Canada, in all honesty, has very little military hardware and very few soldiers to use it. We are a peaceful nation. We probably could not do more than offer a token force if the decision was made to come to Ukraine’s aid. Given our resources, we need to avoid war, not just with Russia but with anyone. (In 2026 Donald Trump is counting on that, just as Vladimir Putin was counting on Ukraine to surrender.)

About a month ago, back when the idea of war between Russia and Ukraine was theory, I had a conversation with a friend about the possibility of war breaking out. He was concerned about Russian threats. I asked how concerned. He has two military-age sons. Would he want them to be conscripted and sent to defend Ukraine? The answer was a swift “No!”

I doubt he was alone. It is easy to theorize that something must be done to stop the aggression of the dictators of the world. It is a different matter when the actions impact your family.

Sometimes humans don’t seem to be able to resolve conflict without violence. That starts when we are children in a playground, and never seems to stop. As adults we know that violence is not the answer, that war can do more harm than good, even when our cause is righteous. Yet wars continue, with several major ones having started since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. There is no end in sight.

Theologically I understand how we can get off this hamster wheel of war. Politically, with our leaders and we the people unable to admit the fallenness of humanity, it looks like there is no end in sight.

In Ukraine, in Gaza, in Sudan, in Iran, in whatever conflict comes to mind, the killing will continue for the forseeable future.