...a New Beginning

We have won, in a certain definition. I would not call it a Pyrrhic victory, exactly. Our entire future is still ahead of us, after all. People's hearts can be swayed, their minds educated. Together, the human race can do both extraordinary and monstrous things. But we always have that choice. It is the individual who matters, for it is of individuals that the whole is made up. The very reason humanity cannot be generalized is why we shall eventually succeed. It may take years, or even beyond my lifetime before the changes for the better begin to manifest themselves, but as long as I have done my best, and even one person listens, then I have made a difference in the world.

Hopefully more than that, of course, or it may be far too late by the time humanity realizes what it is doing to itself.

I have gone over my resolve in the last text I wrote, I needn't retrace my steps. However, I feel... much further reassured to know that she will be by my side, so to speak.

I am unsure of what the Captain will be doing with his newfound knowledge, but I wish him well. His position in the war is not as safe as mine. Elsa has given thought to leaving the army, which I can understand. I'm not sure of Johann, either (apparently his real name is Ivan?) but I am sure he will be fine. I am sure he thinks of me much as I have thought of him, even if I have begun to question that judgement after talking with Elsa.

So... this is it. Humanity is safe, in present tense. Whether they 'will be' safe is another thing. We have conquered north, south, east and west. The only thing left now is to pick a direction and move forward, leading the generations that will follow us. Whatever happens in that room at the end of the tunnel, however, at the very least there will be no massacre of the human race. My mother and my sister Klaudia will be waiting for me... and also the entire world.

To those of you reading these letters, it does not matter whether you think they are truth or fiction - I urge you to take note of my story regardless and take from it this lesson. This world, our fellow man, and all of the incredible beasts that inhabit it are a rich treasure that should be appreciated, not exploited. I am not the only one capable of becoming an example to others - you too may take up arms in the Greatest War, this war of thoughts and ideas, and of preservation of all, rather than one of bloodshed, steel and fire.

Anyone can become a hero if they rise to the challenge. It may be as dramatic as saving the world, or as mundane as  giving food and shelter to the hungry. Little by little, you and I can make our planet a better place to live, and work towards a new beginning.

Karsten Erich Blum