World War I claimed 37 million casualties from the 65 million men mobilized - a staggering 57% of armed service members were killed, wounded, captured, or went missing. This devastating loss of life stemmed from several key factors.

The primary cause was the deadly combination of outdated military tactics and modern weapons technology. Commanders continued ordering mass infantry charges across open terrain - a strategy that proved catastrophic against machine guns and barbed wire. This resulted in massive casualties, with some battles seeing over 21,000 deaths in a single day.

Military and political leaders showed little regard for soldiers' lives, treating them as expendable pawns in geopolitical power struggles. The war itself was largely driven by hyper-nationalism - a desire to display national strength - which ultimately cost 8.5 million military lives.

According to the Bible, human life is sacred - created in God's image with the ultimate purpose of joining His family (Genesis 1:26, Acts 17:25). This divine value of human life is reflected in God's commandment against murder (Exodus 20:13).

Yet throughout history and today, humans continue to devalue life through warfare, murder, and practices like abortion. The Bible teaches we should instead respect all human life, even loving our enemies (Matthew 5:44) and caring for the vulnerable (James 1:27).

The true cost of WWI extends beyond statistics - countless families were devastated, and an entire generation's potential was cut short. This "lost generation" serves as a sobering reminder to value human life as our Creator does.

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