We generally regard war as an evil, but can it provide opportunities for some? How are wars met today? Do you see similar enthusiasm? Why do you suppose some find the idea of going to war glamorous?

The author writes that "At first, Lucius did not appreciate the opportunity of war…He did not understand the patriotism of his classmates, so drunk with a sense of destiny…" We generally regard war as an evil, but can it provide opportunities for some? How are wars met today? Do you see similar enthusiasm? Why do you suppose some find the idea of going to war glamorous?

The topic of war is always a heavily debated subject. Yes it does provide opportunities for some in the way of jobs and making profits. And war today is pretty much dealt with the same as it has in the past only in a more technical manner. Since the draft is no longer in effect , there is still enthusiasm in both men and women to join the military and the numbers prove it. Each joins for their own reason whether it be for money, excitement, or glamour.
I recently read an article by His Holiness the 14th Dali Lama of Tibet that explains the reality of war.
You can find the article at https://www.dalilama.com/messages/world-peace/the-reality-of-war
I hope that you will read the article too. It was very insightful.

In general, the military provides an opportunity to have a job and for higher education that some people might not be able to obtain otherwise. That is not just in wartime of course, but joining the military leads to an obvious risk of having to go to war. I think since the Vietnam War there is little feeling of war being glamorous in this country. Some people might idealize war but surely that must be those who have not experienced it.

In the area of medicine, wars have advanced some techniques especially in surgical specialities. For a general surgeon in wartime at a hospital near the front lines, the opportunity was provided to operate on many more soldiers than a normal surgical rotation. Consequently, much more experience was gained in this field. In WWII, the use of antibiotics also helped many to recover. These medicines unfortunately were unavailable at the time of WWI

I think that previously wars were more all-consuming. It required so very many men to battle each other, particularly in WWI where thousands died over a few feet of ground, gaining territory, losing it, gaining it back... Therefore, if your country was a war, it was pretty much guaranteed that you knew someone who was fighting and it was constantly in people's minds. Today it takes many fewer troops to wage war, and consequently it seems like most people don't feel the sacrifice, let alone have the awareness, that previous generations had. When's the last time you even heard about the war in Afghanistan in the nightly news?

Yes, it does provide opportunities, unfortunately they aren't all good. Profiteers gain opportunity, those who want to rule others gain, and maybe those without a purpose find war as a chance to find their purpose. We don't hear much about current wars, they aren't glamorous, individuals have gotten lost, we seem to want to deny the real impact on day to day life and there are never winners. WWII had winners and losers, now wars go on forever and we lose interest. War seems more religion driven than WWI and WWII and which makes the wars more fanatical. Does anyone think was is still glamorous - or is it just an escape from a life that's really miserable.

I think modern media has hopefully taken away some of the enthusiasm for war as it shows the horrors and results of conflicts in real time. WWI battles were often in remote areas and the results were removed from the public. War does provide an opportunity for men and women to strengthen their leadership skills under fire and can produce true heros.

I think the concept of war was more glamorous before the era of television, where the nightly news showed stacks of body bags ready to be repatriated for burial. War was portrayed in epic paintings as glorious battles with men wearing pristine uniforms, riding beautiful horses while carrying glittering swords & firearms. Men were called to arms to fight for country, a sovereign or homeland. It truly wasn’t until the American. I I’ll War that civilians were shown photographs of the immediate aftermath of battle, dead & greviously wounded soldiers.
Not all soldiers were volunteers as well. No doubt many of the conscripts thought of war as an unavoidable evil. WWII was the last war where young men eagerly signed up to defend his or her home.and or leader.
But even today, war time affords opportunities for leadership and promotion in the military. War and preparation for war requires factories that produce weapons, uniforms, logistical equipment, airplanes, ships, tanks, jeeps, housing....; companies that provide food distribution, security, maintenance contracts, medicines....war creates millionaires and billionaires.