"Kinder spielen Soldaten. Das ist sinnvoll. Warum aber spielen Soldaten Kinder?" - Karl Kraus
Children play soldiers. That is sensible. But why do soldiers play children?
But there is no real puzzle here, when we consider the dual engines of mimesis and memory. Aristotle observed how humans are naturally mimetic and take delight in the recognition of what is represented. Our characters become defined through the way we imitate ourselves and repeat certain actions - so memory (its nostalgia for the self, and repugnance as well perhaps) plays a vital part in the way character moves forward and the person develops. So it is entirely natural for children to imitate soldiers, and for soldiers to replay one way or another the days of their childhood.
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