At 6/19/09 10:18 PM, SlntCobra1 wrote:
Let me say this, peace is an illusion. It will never happen. What has mankind been doing since the dawn of time? FIGHTING. No we cannot all just get along. If that were to happen, what's left to hate?(Not that I'm an ethnicist[racist]) But seriously, mankind has not reached a level of maturity where we can stop fighting. Humans are an innately violent creature.
Well, I would have to respectfully disagree with you. While humans are certainly capable of violence, we are just as capable of compassion and love.
The question to ask is: what drives humans to violence? What triggers the need for one man to hurt another in such a way? Simple: when they themselves get hurt, and respond with the childish notion that hurting back makes everything even.
The other components are ego and a sense of entitlement. When a man's ego is bruised, he tends to react like a child - and children don't think, they react. Or, if someone feels that they deserve something (such as a piece of land or chunk of money) and they don't get it, they feel cheated - and react as such.
The common thread to all of this is that the reaction to pain is the childish notion to give back more pain in return - violence, if you will. The counter balance to all of this is intelligence and a sense of humility. Roy Rogers once said "show me a man who's resorted to violence, and I'll show you a man who's run out of ideas." Someone who is not egotistical and thinks before they act tend to solve problems without violence.
And each year, slowly, the world is changing. More people are aware of the rest of the world - and the violence is a little less and less. Those men in power still will guide armies into war, but only for their own needs. The average soldier (from any country) would much rather be at home with his family than putting their ass on the line.
But there is hope: half of the world's population won't resort to violence first. That half is called "women". We tend to get even - not mad - and we can get our point across without ever laying a finger on anyone. If every world and religious leader was a women, there would be no wars over land or resources. Why not? Because no mother ever wants to see their children die. Unlike men, who deceive themselves with the self-rationalization that if their child dies fighting in a war, it's an honorable thing, women value life higher - as they give birth to it.
And, as women become more and more prevalent in business, government and religion, you will see a shift away from violence. It won't happen over night - and probably not in our lifetime - but it will eventually happen.
So, don't give up, or into the notion that we will always be violent. We have changed, we have evolved (maybe not fast enough) and we are heading in the right direction.
One more thing: violence is a learned response. Want to help move the world forward away from violence? Be peaceful yourself. When you get married and have kids, teach them peace. Be a small example of intelligence over ego - be part of the solution - and instead of lamenting the violence, you can say you helped stop it just a little. But as you pass it on to your kids, they can pass it to theirs, and eventually, peace becomes the norm.
It's not impossible - it will just take some time and patience. Peace is not an illusion - as long as people have seen it, found it and can share it - and make it grow. I have seen it and felt it; I know it exists, and I know that only I can control how I react to things - peaceful or otherwise. I choose peace. I wish other people would do the same.
Sorry for the long rant. But it was a lot that needed to be said. And as I said before, no disrespect is intended.
*Salutes*
