Retrospection Of The Lost

I sit here in the aftermath thinking whether what I have done was the right path.

Should I have taken more risks? Sacrificed more. Should I have stopped being so compassionate? Should I of done more?

You probably are confused by what I am talking about so let me ask you a question, dear viewer.

You most likely live on a planet. Most societies in this universe have never left their planet to live on others.

So to simplify this question let's just assume your planet is all you have and to lose it would mean to lose everything.

If destruction were to be threatened to your planet by an alien force who told you they are going to go to war with your planet and they gave you 3 months to prepare and they clearly outclassed your society. If you were the person in charge of the entire world, What would you do?

If your people needed to get stronger, Would there be any limits on how to get stronger? Would you throw your morals aside and risk it all? Start doing things that had been considered inhumane, unjust, irredeemable.

Or would you cling to your morals in the hopes that they will prove to be enough for the tasks at hand?

Would you take control of the population and make them work all day and night to try to produce a force strong enough to fight this invasion? Start training every person no matter if they can fight or not?

Let's say you were extremely efficient. You start investing every resource your society has into the military. People, money, you name it. You have everyone work and force the rest who don't listen to help and sacrifice millions this way to train the best army with the most powerful weapons in the limited time you have. Force people to work all day to research new technology to fight with, mass-produce that new tech, train people in the most extreme conditions. Violate billions of people's rights that have been established in your society.

And If you won,

Would that justify all that you had done?

Would the risk of losing the planet but dying while upholding those morals have been a better choice?

Would you look back and wish you had allowed more morality? Or is the threat of annihilation enough to justify any means?

Is there a point where an end can justify the means no matter how extreme? No matter how cruel? Inhumane? Immoral?

If you knew that the only way your planet would survive is by doing these terrible things to the people. Would you even be able to do it? Are the sacrifices of a hundred million worth the salvation of billions? The sacrifices of the few worth the lives of all.

If you were to let everything proceed naturally. Let people help on their own and don't force anyone to do anything. Let people who don't believe in what is happening just idly sit by and waste their time. Let those who believe this is righteous just sit by and waste their time. Would nations bicker on who should be in charge? Refuse to be trusting enemies. Or would it make even the worst enemies become allies? Many would hope they wouldn't but who knows?

I suppose only those questions only will be answered by the ones who live to look back and can ponder these questions in the first place.

Those who have not experienced it can only speculate what they would do.

And those who have but were defeated won't have such luxury as to ever consider what could have been.

What would you do?