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You hear it everywhere. Men and women have dedicated their lives to achieve it. It has been one of
humankind’s most sought after dream for most of our history: World peace. Sadly, it will never
be. It is persistent, almost universally desirable, but ultimately a myth. People fight for many
reasons, from political ideologies, to prejudice, to self defence. But at the center of every
conflict since humans first walked the earth, is one or more of three basic, unchangeable aspects of
human nature: Greed, pride, and religion. However, humans are more peaceful then we have been in all
our history. This is because of the rise of civilization, along with law and order.
Throughout our history, greed is one force that motivates us to violence more then anything else. We
learn it from a very early age and it is a fundamental, though unpleasant part of who we are.
Practically every war in history contains at least one element of greed in its conception and
trigger. The very premise of such a war is incredibly childlike. It is a simple matter of one group
wanting more resources then the other group and trying to take them by force. There are endless
examples, but one of the most obvious is World War 2 in which a small group wanted power over the
entire world, and attempted to take it by force and was responded to in kind.
Though now less common on a national and international level, pride has been a powerful motivating
force for violence. It is a fundamental aspect of war in general. The idea that one is superior to
everyone else, and that another would dare challenge that claim. This causes violence from bar
fights to massive international conflicts. The basic premise of this kind of war, when one party
insults something that is important to the opposing party or the opposing party itself (whether
intentional or unintentional), and the opposing party responds with force. This is very common in
societies, and communities that value or revolve around the concept of honour, such as gangs and
tribes.
Religion, though spiritual support for many has been fuel for war since its creation. When a person
absolutely convinced that they have the moral and/or spiritual high ground, they are, depending on
the faith, capable of almost anything. When one or more parties are convinced beyond doubt or reason
that they hold the superior beliefs, and that all the others should believe the same, violence
rapidly ensues. The greatest example of this kind of conflict is the crusades in which, Christian
and Muslim warriors, both believing that they had sole, divine rights to several territories went
on vast crusades against each other, over a period of roughly two hundred years. This is type of
conflict, while less common, is still prevalent in today’s world.
Despite common belief however, humans are not inherently violent (over eighty percent of new
recruits in the U.S. Army do not shoot to kill), and death has always repulsed people to some
degree. Instead we are driven to fight by the traits aforementioned. And with the rise of
civilization, and law and order we are less inclined to violence then ever before. This is because
we have other ways to vent and control these desires. However there is a growing train of thought
that suggests that if society were to revert to a more primitive state life would be simpler and
therefore better. This is false. Life in a primitive society is harsh and unforgiving. According to
the book “the myth of the noble savage” primitive societies wage war over almost anything not
matter how petty or personal. It is in these settings that Greed, pride and religion run amok.
Humans are undeniably the most fascinating species this world has ever produced. We are capable of
both incredible triumphs of imagination and technology as well as unspeakable horrors. To say that
we are capable of any kind of lasting world peace would be false, but to say we are naturally
violent is an even bigger error. The only one true definition one could apply to us is that we are a
complex species to which no one definition applies. |
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Well lets see... YES if we can help world peace can start right now! All we need to do is stop all
this fighting and pollution if we all join together we can do it!! :) |
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There can never truly be world peace because everyone has a different opinion. Meaning that they're
bound to disagree and fight from time to time. |
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20 Nov 2009 16:02
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