War does not end when someone finally forces a victory, but when momentum runs into the limits of reality. War ends when guilt becomes visible rather than projected. War ends when the ability appears to see reality without myth. War ends when victims are truly acknowledged. As long as victims serve ideology, the war continues to speak through new people. War ends when the system stops demanding self-sacrifice. War ends when life becomes more valuable than a symbol. War ends when the living become more important than the idea. War ends when responsibility returns to each person where it belongs. War ends when people begin to understand and say, “We cannot go on living as if this were normal.” War ends when death is no longer justified. War ends when victims stop being considered “necessary.” War ends when the living gain the right to live without guilt. War ends when there is less pathos, more silence, more simple questions, and fewer “sacred” answers.