As the United States prepares for conflict with Iraq, students in Charles Brady's sociology class at Greenwood High School are learning about conflict resolution.
The escalating tension in the world, revolving around the United States and Iraq, has raised concern in his classroom, he said. "They're a little panicky, especially my seniors."
Old enough to go to war themselves but too young to remember the last one, the seniors are overwhelmed by a mixture of fear and confusion, Brady explained.
Jarrad Ratliff's fears are real. The senior in Brady's class has a 22-year-old cousin stationed in Kuwait, poised to advance into the war zone. He says many of his classmates are close to someone either serving in the Middle East right now or awaiting orders to go over there.
"I'm afraid of people dying for nothing," said Ratliff, 18.
All this week, Brady is addressing such fears and helping his students understand what is going on and why. The lesson begins with values, those traditional to America - freedom, equality and democracy.
"We make sure we cover the fact that sometimes values create conflicts," said Brady. "You know, not everyone has the same values. Not everyone respects the values you might have."
Then, the discussion moves into conflict resolution - how to resolve an issue before conflict becomes necessary.
"We also clearly see that in most places when the talking stops, the fighting starts," Brady said.
Much of the paranoia is based on misinformation the students might have received, he said. Some students believe their country is on the verge of two wars. Some worry that a pre-emptive strike on Iraq will give the rest of the world's nations license to wage war wherever they please.
"What I try to do more than anything is listen and at the same time try to correct the misguided notions they have," he said. "Some of them couldn't tell you the difference between Saddam Hussein and Momar Khadaffi."
Ratliff says he is scared this conflict will lead to a perpetual state of war.
"If the U.S. government attacks Iraq, then it's going to lead another country to attack another smaller country, so there's always going to be a war everywhere," he said.
Other outlooks are even bleaker.
"A lot of us fear that the world is actually coming to an end," says Crystal Stewart, 18.
Stewart, whose godmother is in training for active duty, does not take Brady's class, but she says talk of war pervades discussion throughout most of her school day, from math to Spanish class.
"The majority of us think that war isn't the answer because what people have to realize is there is a lot of violence at stake," she said. "Everyone is worrying about us getting attacked. Well, people in other countries have families too, and no one wants to see them die either."
Brady says he encourages a variety of opinions among his students, as long as they are resolute. However, he also cautions them about taking a stand too hastily.
"They have to understand some of the information they get is going to be filtered," he said. "So, if you want to get a little deeper, you have to search a little deeper for it, and you base your judgements on that."
Brady includes in the lesson the doctrine of the "just war," by which some religions justify and even prophesy violent conflict. But his own opinion about imminent bloodshed with Iraq is clear.
"I tell them you have the right to have an opinion one way or another," he said. "Personally, I'm like Ghandi. I can think of many causes that I would give my life for, but I pray to God there is nothing that would make me take a life."
