The spectacle takes us away from our routines. For at least a time, we feel part of something big, colorful, exciting. It is perhaps understandable that civilians are often more enthusiastic during wartime than soldiers who have experienced battle. The soldiers know that war is often boring and dirty as well as terrifying and colorful. Even so, after some years, an old soldier like Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., could brush aside his earlier description of the pain, boredom, and death of war and declare that “its message was divine.” The stench disappears, but the spectacle remains in memory’s eye. Nel Noddings
About This Quote

There are many things that take people away from their routines. This quote is referring to the excitement of a big event as well as a war where people don't know what to expect. War is an event that will bring out the best and worst in people and can take you away from your normal routine.

Source: Peace Education: How We Come To Love And Hate War

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