War begs for meaning, and amazingly gives meaning, a meaning found in the midst of its chaos. Men who survive battle come back and say it was the most meaningful time of their lives, transcendent to all other meanings. Major books have collected these accounts and are dedicated to this theme. Despite the wasting confusion, accidental senselessness, and numbing dread, meaning appears among those engaged, meaning without explanation, without full understanding, yet lasting a lifetime. After World War II, a Frenchwoman said to J. Glenn Gray, "You know that I do not love war or want it to return. But at least it made me feel alive, as I have not felt alive before or since."

James Hillman, A Terrible Love of War