Well, I don't think the reason for war is really war itself. I think it is not that simplistic. We don't do things for the sake of them, do we? We always have a purpose. For instance, we walk is not because we like or want to walk, but because we desire to reach a destination. Similarly, I don't think the civil war in Sri Lanka is really triggered by the way people simply want war. Indeed it has purposes, such as seizing political power, getting rid of oppositions, fulfilling violent desires, shaping a new future of Sri Lanka, etc. There must be motivation and intentions, and we never do things simply for the sake of it. So I think this statement is really simply Ondaatje's play on words.  