A problem inherent to human society: misunderstanding. People of conflicting beliefs trying to hammer out some kind of compromise, but neither side can see past its own biases and truly understand the ways of the other. If no solution is reached, violence is the inevitable result. So we come to the song's title. The empty threats are the ceaseless threats of force used by parties in sensitive negotiations. When fire is exchanged, it is the innocent people caught in the middle that suffer. We see this in the line "We---, can't stop out fate, our children are dying." Sadly, there are many examples of such conflicts in history. Conflicts of religion: the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the 1994 Bosnia conflict; conflicts of ethnicity: the British repression of the Irish and Scots, the Nazis and World War II, the 1999 Kosovo conflict; conflicts of politics: the American Revolution, The French Revolution, the Cold War. The list goes on and on. Each of these, and any other similar example, has one major trait in common with all the others. The conflicting sides each believed their cause was just and righteous, and that their enemies were evil, even barbaric people. In every case, some group of innocent people gets caught in the middle and pays most dearly for the arrogance and ignorance of others. Essentially, the song tells us that this is our reality. We have three choices. We could stand by and do nothing, letting those who have done us no wrong suffer, and believe there is nothing we can do ("So we'll accept this truth of hate"). We could look on the suffering and complain and be saddened, but still do nothing ("or stand there crying"). Or, we could have the courage to realize how foolish our hatred of one another is and strive to rise above it (We---, can change our fate, it's in our hands now"). Most people want to change this terrible reality, but most feel helpless against it. So, in the ultimate conflict of love and hate, hate remains the stronger side, because apathy prevents us from stopping it and reaching the true goal, a middle ground of mutual acceptance.