KNOCK IT OFF FOR A WHILE -- MAYBE UNTIL NEXT WEEK

In this age of endless world turmoil, with one or more civil or neighboring nation wars being waged at any and all times, there is a certain related feature we’ve always been unable to comprehend. Perhaps somebody will be kind enough to provide a plausible explanation.

It has become fairly common for third party interests to stick their noses into these frays, bringing foe spokesmen together for peace-inducing conferences. Oftentimes, the outcome is a negotiated cease fire. In other words, lay down your weapons, Fellows, and go home for a while to cool off.

What dumbfounds this writer in every such case we’ve noted is the timing aspect. For example, let’s say that the discussions wind up today, with a cease fire mutually agreed upon, after weeks, months, years, or decades of vicious conflict. Why on earth do the intermediaries invariably set it to take effect at a specified later date? What’s wrong with enforcement from this very minute onward instead?

Supposing you walked into a room or around a street corner to discover two men punching the living daylights out of each other, with hands and mouths bloodied. In order to break up the melée, what action would be appropriate on your part?

Well, in accordance with the usual cease fire terms imposed under the previously described circumstances, you’d most likely separate the pair, then sternly tell them “Look, You Guys, this brutal fighting has to stop. So ….. you can keep at it just five minutes more, than call the affair quits for a while.”

Would that make sense? We fail to see how. What is the point in allowing combative forces at any level to carry on the fracas a little while longer, thus wreaking as much additional damage as possible throughout an established “grace” period?

Furthermore, though, judging from these all too frequent delayed action cease fires we’ve observed, the second pertinent question is why bother? The likelihood that they’ll be back dropping bombs, lobbing artillery shells, or whatever else following a brief “cooling off” time span seems rather unavoidable at best.