The Uncertain Peace

Tom and I went to LA this weekend - it sure is a long drive from Phoenix! As we were on I10 he spotted an old plane in the distance - i was amazed on his ability to recognize an OLD WAR plane?!? Not that i doubt Tom's knowledge on many subjects but he spent most of his life secluded from war, studying medicine and he seemed to have had just enough time for current events and his passion for music.
As we got closer to the flying object, i also noticed the large star on its belly and the rustic look of the plane, including the bubble cockpit and the dark aluminum body. This was obviously a wonderfully well kept old airplane flying in the Arizona sky.
I correlated his knowledge of warplanes with toys and stories told of heroic men dying for their country's freedom in our history books and our playgrounds.
I would like to think we would want to avoid war @ any costs and therefore to avoid wars we might need to start having little boys play with toys that do not reflect violence and bloodshed, instead we are breeding fighters with guns, toy soldiers, warplanes etc....
Or is it just an answer to a need, a desire.... Are the toy companies making what sells and ignoring their social responsibilities? The government does have some control when it becomes too much of a threat such as the black handguns they were selling for less than 10 dollars. These were such wonderful replicas that they were forced to sell them in bright colors to avoid people using them for hold ups and the guns be mistaken for real ones!
mmmhhh... i guess there will always be fanatics, dictators and people that want to control others by force and terror, it is the nature of the beast... So we need to protect ourselves against the 'deceased' while rearing our young ones with desires to fight wars and be heroic... Even the in most harmonious of childhoods. Is that really the answer?
Can we socially mold our children to be loving, peaceful and charitable citizens? I think so - because every little bit helps... But the truth is, nurturing our young ones to bring peace to this world will not encourage them to join our nation's armed services... So who would be fighting for us in times of need?