RE: "Is war needed to obtain peace?"
My dear friend Zechs,
In order to answer your question, is war really needed to obtain peace, we must first define peace. If peace is simply the opposite of war, then the answer is no, war is not needed in order to obtain peace. However, peace is not just simply the absence of war. No, peace reaches further than that. Peace is the construct that brings about changes in humanity, changes in values, and changes in ethics. Peace is harmony, peace is tranquility, peace is serenity, peace is that inner feeling of security and jubilation that tempers the human urge to fight. That is what true peace is. And if we are to obtain this peace, there are two things that must happen and three conditions that must be fulfilled.
The first condition is that all weapons must be eliminated. This is not an easy task, as humans are very adept at killing one another, faun and fauna, and just destroying things in general. However, if the human race were stripped of every technological advance—every piece of cutting edge equipment, every item of "civilization," every piece of weaponry—it would be hard pressed at fending for its survival. Let's face it, without weapons, humans are generally weak and feeble; but I guess, that's why we developed weapons in the first placed. However, even if weapons were initially meant only as a tool used to ensure the species' survival, the species can never hope to obtain peace and security of mind, if they still exist. And so, the first goal in obtaining total peace must first be to eliminate the means to kill—the weapons of warfare and destruction.
Now, given that we do accomplish this Herculean task, the second condition required to obtain peace is that the desire to fight is eliminated from the hearts of the people and the desire for peace is instilled. Again, this is no small task. Every form of life—animal, plant or human—is born with an innate instinct for survival. It is written into the very code that makes up our conscious beings. Extrapolating that to a species, each species of life inherently has only one goal: the survival of the species. From that point of view, it then becomes necessary that the species fight for its survival. However, we humans are special. We fight, not so that the species as a whole can survive, but so that individuals of the species can survive. And yet, we can't really blame the fighters, after all, they are only following orders. No, the soldiers are not the ones that must be blamed. Rather, they should be praised—praised as messengers of peace. Praised as men who sacrifice their lives to show how bloody war can be. It is from the fallen blood of soldiers that we truly see how bloody war is. It is from the chaos and devastation that war leaves in its wake that we develop the longing for peace. And that is why war is needed, because without it, those that would wage war, the warmongers, the hawks, the guns, would never understand the true horrors, if the casualties of war were not brought to their door steps. War is the instrument that brings about the yearning for peace in the hearts of the people. That is what a true war is—a horrifying, yet necessary evil if true peace should ever be obtained.
But, we humans are a tenacious lot, always clinging on to something that should have been left behind years ago. As such, we have always kept our weapons. Even during eras of peace, we have kept the weapons of war since time was young. The rationale behind this was, "well I'll keep these in case we ever need to fight again; just in case I need to defend myself." Balderdash! Statements like those are statements of disbelief—statements of a heart that still longs to fight. Sure these statements are noble, and what any rational being would do, but the sad truth is that these statements, while merely defensive, end up being the cause of offense—end up being a temptation to fight. And soon, from this temptation, the lessons of war are forgotten, and peace is taken for granted; thus we have revolution. And revolution begets war; from war we have peace. It is like a cycle. Never ending, always leading into the next cycle. It is like an endless waltz of three acts: war, peace and revolution; revolution, war, peace; peace, revolution war. In such a vicious circle, is there even hope? Does it even make sense to strive for peace? Yes, because even if the peace only lasts for an era, "there is no such thing as a good war, or a bad peace." However, when we as a people are ready to break this cycle, we must have one more thing: a strong heart that can empathize and lead the people. Thus, when all these three conditions are met, will this world know absolute peace, and will the souls of the soldiers, the men and women who sacrificed all, finally know rest.
Your friend and fellow soldier,
Treize Krushrenada