This Animated Data Visualization Of World War II Fatalities Is Shocking (VIDEO)

Peace on earth: a statement heard around the world and an ideal that most of seem to want to yet have no idea how to attain. It seems like conflicts and wars are a reality in every part of the world, every single day. From religious battles to political quarrels, we seem to find a way to make our differences and thirst for power and control lead us to battle time and time again. And while everything I’m saying is true, there’s probably something you haven’t considered that may shock you. It may even get you seeing that we are actually quite close to having peace on earth as we speak.

The video below tells a tale of WW II fatalities that puts into perspective the true cost of war today. It was written, directed, coded, and narrated by Neil Halloran over at fallen.io/ww2/.

“The Fallen of World War II is an interactive documentary that examines the human cost of the second World War and the decline in battle deaths in the years since the war. The 15-minute data visualization uses cinematic storytelling techniques to provide viewers with a fresh and dramatic perspective of a pivotal moment in history.”

When we think of war or a lack of peace in our world we think something is wrong with the world. One perspective I’d love to challenge is our reluctance to accept that there is nothing ‘wrong’ with the world. I’m not saying we need to lie down and accept things we don’t wish to see, but simply that we need to recognize that everything in our world, in a deeper sense, is showing us something. War and conflict included! It’s teaching us what we can create, or have created, and what is a result of our human consciousness as it is today. I feel that only when we can come to that understanding and see that we don’t have to hate or fight violently that which we don’t like, will we find an evolution of the way we are living and treating each other on this earth. A collective evolution.