Well, this isn't quite what you were asking for, but, as a young teenager a few days after 9/11, I was struck with a clear thought that went something like: "The American people are being whipped into a blood frenzy, and we are going to massively retaliate against somebody, perpetuating the endless cycle of violence that created the environment which enabled this attack to occur in the first place."

But I think it's actually common for young people to be better at realpolitik and we get worse at it as we absorb the mores of our culture.