That "War" Thing Over There...

"Until the colour of a man's skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes; Me say war."

Today, more than ever, we are aware of war. It comes in many shapes and sizes. From the petty disputes of overbearing policy & polite anarchy to the wars of religion, equality & money; we're all well and truly used to it. But, what is war? How do we as individuals better understand it and how can we better serve against it? First (as usual) we have to go back to the beginning!

Sorry...

As has always been the case, at it's core, war is seen as the ultimate disagreement. War occurs when two people cannot simply agree on a happy medium and conflict emerges. Originally this was an extremely brutal affair with much bludgeoning but has since developed into a highly orchestrated psychological attack. It is true to say that death and disarray still play a vital role in the success of war but only so far as to create a stressful working environment for one's opponent.

When the first kingdoms & empires sprung to fruition, land was freely available with little to no bloodshed. The tribes were a hassle to pillage, plunder and bribe but eventually the world was divvied up into his, hers & theirs. The rulers of these early nations saw profit in capturing their colleagues land and would arrange soldiers to occupy as much as possible, as soon as possible. Often, the opposing leader would retaliate by sending in their own soldiers and more often than not death on both sides would ensue. After a few hundred years, the more "in-tune" leaders formed alliances to make up numbers and protect themselves from the weaker, lesser nations. These organisations still exist and grow, although recent events have shown them for the fallacy they present. 

The excuses for war are endless and somewhat tedious but the reality of what war represents has never changed. Until now.

Over time, common sense and rational thinking have led to the discovery of the meaning of life. There is no meaning, do what you want. People have been aware of this fact for some time but with the distractions of divinity and personal ascension, it has remained widely ignored. Human beings are incredible at making excuses and have done so for generations. At the turn of the 21st century, ignorance became uncool and we started speaking out. I was 11 when I was sent home from school because a group of men, thousands of miles away, had decided to fly passenger planes into heavily populated buildings. The whole world shut down in those few hours while we were introduced to our first mainstream gang of terrorists and taught the basics of the new world order. Not many questions were asked at first, people were afraid, the gang was to be dealt with. The allied forces were dispatched in vast numbers to all manner of places to do their work and 12 years later, we're no closer to achieving a sensible agreement. 

There is one major difference between this latest bout of conflicts and it's predecessors; support. Propaganda plays a vital part along the way and can often lead to victory all on its own. Sending a positive message to one's populace not only rallies support in terms of fire-power but also in terms of financial backing. If the average number believes that they are contributing to a noble cause they will contribute in almost any way they can, even in the face of death. The trouble being that these days, the numbers aren't rolling in quite as fast as before. Negative press from independent sources has all but stripped this war of any reason or rhyme and any informed individual is as likely to subscribe to the war effort as they are to sign up for the other side. Several more conflicts have come to the public eye as part of the latest wave of propaganda overspill and British nationals have been migrating in droves to support rebel forces & so-called "terrorist" groups, rather than serve the organisations that house them. In a few short months, the allied forces are set to evacuate the war-zone they have exacerbated, yet it seems unlikely the dispute will resolve itself at any point in my lifetime. After-all, it's only been going on since the beginning of civilisation in the middle-east. 

Understanding war is like attempting to remove a brick wall with a wooden spoon; You're more than likely to wear yourself out before you've even begun to break the surface. In fact, war itself is inherently human, entirely illogical and (I believe) highly unnatural. In nature, an animal does not kill unless it feels it must. It will hunt the living for food but never for fun or fortune. It could be that one day, Farmer Bill had a disagreement with Farmer Phil about where the boundary fence should be between their two farms. Farmer Bill wanted it there but Farmer Phil wanted it there. Bill threatened to send over his oversized sons (Will & Gill) to settle the matter by way of fatality and Phil defeatedly mumbled "Go on... Take it all!", having only his undersized daughter (Jill) to defend him. I could quite happily see the result developing from there. Land, resources & control are still the playing field but Bill & Phil are now big fat bankers with wallets as fat as your fist and little to no interest in who's sons and daughters are involved in the onslaught. It's a sad state of affairs but it is the reality we've created. On the upside, it happens to be a reality we have express powers to change.

Often I wonder how I, little old me, can impact on that "war" thing over there. How can I help the people just like me in their homes, scared for their lives and those of their family? How can I send a message to those that choose to set the target and those that choose to pull the trigger? How do I make it stop?

First, I have to remember that alone I can achieve nothing more than a ripple. However tempting it is to hide from the noise, I know that the less involvement I have, the less impact I will have. Just by talking about what is going on and creating a public attitude toward a global issue can create an immense change. From there the potential is endless. Confronting the people that orchestrate these terrible deeds is a necessity but not to slay them or torture them or enslave them. No. To relieve them of their powers and to educate them in humanity. 

Come on. Give peace a chance! If not for John; Do it for me...?