You know, back when I was a kid, I thought it was so stupid when some well-meaning adult would say, “you know, that’s how wars are started!”, in response to kids in disagreement on something. I remember thinking, “yeah, right. As if world leaders are really so childish as to put the lives of their countrymen at stake for really pedantic reasons.” I always thought that the world of adults was about really important things, and that they were above playing silly games, or starting conflicts over seemingly meaningless words or actions, or doing completely irrational and stupid things.
To all of you well-meaning adults who have ever uttered those words, my sincerest apologies.
<EOL>