Thou shalt not kill

War is killing, and killing is considered wrong by most, so how do we consistently, millennium after millennium, find ways to justify war to the masses who send their youth to kill and be killed?

Well, it allows a nation to demonstrate power and dominance. History shows that there is always a people or a nation that is more powerful, more dominant, than others. Thus, it’s natural to want your own to be the powerful one (or really good friends/allies with it), right? I mean, if someone is going to be strong and mighty, it should be us, right?

Historically, in addition to improving slumping national self-esteem and economies (where there are producers of the accoutrements of war), war permits the winner(s) to reap great rewards, such as more or better land (or independent control of/access to it), more or better resources (or the rights to capitalize on them) and even more believers for the one true religion...which of course varies depending on the winning side. Also, back in the day, you could acquire a free work force.

In recent centuries, war has been fought in support of ideas or ideologies…or so the story goes… But methinks realpolitik reigns supreme. Whatever the reasons given to justify the waging of war to a nation’s citizens (when justification is required), ultimately, it’s all about power – social, economic and/or political…millennium after millennium.

A chilling aspect of war for me is that over and over again, today’s enemies were yesterday’s friends and tomorrow they may be again. We sell our friends arms to kill their enemies, but then one day, our friends become our enemies and suddenly our soldiers - are being shot with the guns we sold the enemy...when we were friends…

What a tangled web of death and destruction we weave…