Why War?
Certainly we don’t need a war to appreciate how wonderful peace is. If we (who, after all, have a voice) would only stop squandering our resources, we could easily end poverty, have universal health care, and free education for all. Fear, fundamentalism, and tribalism (causing exclusion) appear to be major motivators for conflict, and it’s unpredictable, though not always obvious, human consequences.
Tribal conflict predates the advent of agriculture.
I saw a thoughtful analysis by Ian Morris maintaining that the long-term (10 thousand year) trend of civilization is one in which “war made the state, and the state made peace”. He maintains that the violence-reducing societal structures that are the result of war could also be achieved by peaceful means, but historically, never have. Well, just because war-less structural progress has not happened before does not mean such can never happen in the future. Certainly we can evolve as a society. Violence, including wars, is becoming less frequent. And the ease of organizing and sharing ideas continues to grow. So there is hope.
Otto
