Why Does It Make Us Happy?

I’ll admit it: I failed geography in school. History? That was another story of half-hearted attempts and reluctant textbook flips. So, when I hear about places like Lebanon, Israel, Iran, or Russia, I can’t even pinpoint them on a map. I’m just another person sitting in India, surrounded by my own set of struggles and routines. Yet today, when I heard about the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, something broke inside me — and healed at the same time. Tears came. I mean, actual tears.

For once, humans chose to pause the madness, to halt the self-annihilation that has plagued our history. And in that pause, there was something sacred. Something hopeful.

It’s strange, isn’t it? How the suffering of people halfway across the world can affect us so deeply, without us even realizing it? Until, of course, something shifts. When the bombs stop falling and the guns go silent, it’s as though a weight lifts from the collective chest of humanity. That weight is not just theirs. It’s ours too.

I think about the lives that would have been ruined if the war continued. Children who’d grow up without parents. Parents who’d bury their children. Homes turned to rubble. Futures obliterated. All for what? Land? Power? Revenge? Surely, it must be something darker, something more insidious, that drives humans to such extremes. Satan? Perhaps. The worst parts of ourselves? Definitely.

Yet, when peace prevails, even momentarily, it’s a reminder of who we really are. We are not creatures of destruction. We are beautiful beings of Godly love, created with the capacity for empathy, compassion, and connection. How else can we explain this feeling — this strange, bittersweet happiness — that comes when wars end, even when the war wasn’t “our” war?

Maybe that’s the point. Maybe there’s no such thing as “our” war. Every war is a war on humanity, and every ceasefire is a small victory for the human spirit. It’s a reminder that we’re not as lost as we sometimes think we are. That despite the chaos, the provocations, and the hatred, we’re still capable of choosing peace.

So, let’s celebrate this ceasefire. Let’s honor the hope it brings. And let’s remember: every step away from war is a step closer to becoming the beings of light and love we were meant to be. Because when wars stop, the world doesn’t just heal. We heal too.