3 Forum Posts by "skiingpwns"
At 2/26/08 09:52 PM, poxpower wrote:At 2/26/08 07:50 PM, Musician wrote:
Is war any different than an execution? Because there probably hasn't been one year ever where one guy wasn't executed for a "crime" in some horrible and violent way while the peasants cheered.
I'd say that makes us way more violent than a war, which is much more impersonal; you just go out and kill "the enemy" i.e. some random guy who you've never met and who wants to also kill you.
I'd say it's the opposite really. Many people are horrified by execution, not just on principle either. The only time executions were public were usually when it was some horrible tyrant/baby eater being killed, and even then you can't say that those who appreciate such a thing have not aquired it. I believe it is inherited society in that respect, as no sane person just exposed to it would enjoy it.
You can't deny yourself that just because you think your badass either. Hell's Angles were formed on image, and its because of people seeking that image that it was eventually built up to what it is today. The new members are not comfortable with lots of things they do, but neither were the old members when they were initiated. Much like this situation, it is the image, not the true person that dictates the form. We consider it much like growing up nowadays, but are you really maturing, or are you just selling out your true self realization for an image?
I don't think there is any question that we are not hardwired for war.
At 2/26/08 08:57 PM, SmilezRoyale wrote: Humans are at the top of the food chain, it is expected that they are going to be their own predators.
Well thats an interesting point. Until world war 1 it was true that many people thought of war as a glamorous adventure, and there are things today that certainly don't help either. Also, were the gladiators not created just for entertainment? Nevertheless, i don't think you can chalk murder up to boredom. It has been said before that primitive socieities would have no need for, and thus no knowledge of war, but we've been shown that over time one event can affect human history drastically. Could a single murder or feud not spawn a lasting conflict, which involved other groups and taught the world war? War is not an instinct, survival is. But it is ignorance of this and the mental wall that create those circumstances. The point about animals proves this farther. Wolves (another good example is lions) will only kill members of their own species if it threatens their group as a whole. It is not war but survival.
If you look at any of the worlds conflicts, they are all spawned out of desperation or ignorance. People will only seek guidance if they need it, and can only be taken advantage of if they are kept in the dark or destitute. Rationally there is no completely evil side in a war, though there may be evil leaders, (like Hitler) there are always good people involved in the fight who are just strung along because of their beliefs or desperation. There may be some people who see war as glorified and exciting, but thats just ignorance once again. No veteran would ever want to see war happen again, because they realize the cost and know the enemy is no evil monster. But as long as there are people like Hitler and Bin Laden, we will have to do what we have to do because there is no way to teach them we are no godless heathens. Education and stablility are the keys to peace, but as long as a tyrant can inspire a man to kill, that cannot be achieved.
To me, this basically means it takes a lot to push people to war, but if they were wise enough to see the truth and were not backed into any corners, they would lose that will to fight. Every person who serves believes in what they are doing, and even the Al-Queda believe they are serving the greater good. It may be our nature, but I beleive it is our nature in the same way it was for us to chase after animals and eat raw meat. It can be overcome with knowledge and experience, and hopefully when the world learns, it will be looked back on as barbaric and savage the way it should be. Til' then I support what we are doing as there is no other option.
