I want to make it clear, however, that although I am deeply opposed to war, I am not advocating appeasement. Not only money but also valuable energy and human intelligence are squandered, while all that increases is fear. Governments spend vast sums on increasingly intricate weapons when, in fact, nobody really wants to use them. Pursuing peace through military strength places a tremendously wasteful burden on society.
If we really believe dictatorship to be a despicable and destructive form of government, then we must recognize that the existence of a powerful military establishment is one of its main causes. As long as there are powerful armies there will always be danger of dictatorship. But no matter how malevolent or evil are the many murderous dictators who can currently oppress their nations and cause international problems, it is obvious that they cannot harm others or destroy countless human lives if they don't have a military organisation accepted and condoned by society. There are people with destructive intentions in every society, and the temptation to gain command over an organisation capable of fulfilling their desires can become overwhelming. Moreover, once an army has become a powerful force, there is every risk that it will destroy the happiness of its own country. They are then compelled to forfeit their individual will, and, in the end, to sacrifice their lives. After the officer in charge have given beautiful explanations about the importance of the army, its discipline and the need to conquer the enemy, the rights of the great mass of soldiers are most entirely taken away. By their very design, they were the single greatest violators of human rights, and it is the soldiers themselves who suffer most consistently from their abuse. It is not only during times of war that military establishments are destructive. Some former soldiers have told me that when they shot their first person they felt uncomfortable but as they continued to kill it began to feel quite normal.
Again, if we as adults were not so fascinated by war, we would clearly see that to allow our children to become habituated to war games is extremely unfortunate. There are plenty of exciting games to play and costumes to wear other than those based on the killing of human beings.
Children starts playing games that will one day lead them in trouble. But that is exactly how the seduction begins. Their uniform looked so smart and beautiful. We should all be horrified by the extent of this tragedy, but we are too confused.įrankly as a child, I too was attracted to the military. If one soldier is killed, or maimed for life, at least another five or ten people - his relatives and friends - suffer as well. None of his loved ones wants any harm to come to him. But because we have been brainwashed to think this way, we do not consider the suffering of individual soldiers. This is throwing live people onto a fire. If one area gets weak, the commanding officer sends in reinforcements. War also strongly resembles a fire in the way it spreads.
Modern warfare waged primarily with different forms of fire, but we are so conditioned to see it as thrilling that we talk about this or that marvelous weapon as a remarkable piece of technology without remembering that, if it is actually used, it will burn living people. I find this analogy especially appropriate and useful. War is like a fire in the human community, one whose fuel is living beings. Its very nature is one of tragedy and suffering. Since armies are legal, we feel that war is acceptable in general, nobody feels that war is criminal or that accepting it is criminal attitude. Most of us have been conditioned to regard military combat as exciting and glamorous - an opportunity for men to prove their competence and courage. We should think carefully about the reality of war. Whether their purpose is defensive or offensive, these vast powerful organizations exist solely to kill human beings. Of course, war and the large military establishments are the greatest sources of violence in the world.
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