No More War

War has been an enduring aspect of human history, characterized by destruction, loss, and suffering. However, there are individuals who firmly reject the notion of war and believe in the sanctity of life. Let’s explore various reasons for this standpoint.

Some might argue that the sacrifice of human lives, driven by the profit motives of those who benefit from war, is ethically unjustifiable. Wars are often, if not always, fueled by propaganda rather than factual justifications.

One might wonder about high-ranking officials, even U.S. presidents who have ushered us into war, who are owners of the very military equipment manufacturers who supply both sides of conflicts, this sheds light on the hypocrisy of those individuals, their families, and those whom they associate with. The kind of people who might suggest in a down economy, “What we need is a good war,” to set things right and to increase profits.

There is an Inherent Value of Life

A. Life as Precious

The fundamental belief that life is sacred underpins my opposition to war. Every human life holds inherent value, and the act of sacrificing the lives of young men and women for the benefit of those who profit from war is morally unacceptable.

B. Ethical Considerations

From an ethical perspective against war, one questions the justification of causing immense harm and suffering to individuals, families, and entire communities. The devastating consequences of war extend far beyond the battlefield, impacting civilians, children, and future generations.

Wars Fueled by Propaganda

A. Manipulation of Public Opinion

War propaganda often distorts facts, inflates threats, and manufactures consent for military interventions. Public opinion, shaped by biased narratives, can be manipulated into supporting wars that lack genuine justifications, undermining the principles of informed decision-making.

B. Hidden Agendas

Behind the veil of national security or protecting democratic values, hidden agendas such as resource exploitation, geopolitical influence, or economic interests can drive conflicts. Fueled by hidden motives, war perpetuates a cycle of violence that benefits a select few while disregarding the genuine well-being of nations and their people.

Profiteering and Hypocrisy

A. Military Equipment Manufacturers

The profit-driven nature of war becomes evident in the actions of military equipment manufacturers. By supplying weapons and military gear to both sides of conflicts, these manufacturers prioritize financial gain over ethical considerations, perpetuating the cycle of violence and suffering. The glaring hypocrisy of this practice raises serious moral concerns.

B. Connections to Politicians and U.S. Presidents

The ownership ties between some military equipment manufacturers and U.S. presidents underscore the troubling conflict of interest. The involvement of influential individuals with a vested interest in war profiteering raises questions about the integrity and objectivity of decisions regarding armed conflicts.

Other reasons to avoid war at all costs include.

    1. Loss of Human Lives: War inevitably leads to the loss of countless human lives, including soldiers and civilians, causing immeasurable suffering and grief. Advocates against war argue that preserving human life should always be a priority.
    2. Destruction and Displacement: Armed conflicts result in widespread destruction of infrastructure, homes, and communities. Additionally, wars often force people to flee their homes, leading to large-scale displacement, refugee crises, and further human suffering.
    3. Escalation of Violence: Engaging in war can perpetuate a cycle of violence, where retaliation and counterattacks become the norm. This escalation only serves to deepen animosity, prolong conflicts, and hinder opportunities for peaceful resolutions.
    4. Economic Consequences: War drains significant financial resources that could otherwise be utilized for social welfare, education, healthcare, and infrastructure development. The enormous cost of warfare can burden economies for years, impacting societal well-being and hindering progress.
    5. Environmental Destruction: Wars have severe environmental consequences, including deforestation, pollution, and the release of hazardous materials. These ecological damages can have long-term implications for the health of ecosystems and future generations.
    6. Trauma and Mental Health Impact: The psychological impact of war extends beyond physical casualties. Survivors, including soldiers and civilians, often suffer from trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other mental health issues. The long-lasting effects on individuals and societies cannot be ignored.
    7. Divisiveness and Polarization: War often deepens divisions within societies, fostering hatred, mistrust, and animosity between different groups. The social fabric of nations can be torn apart, resulting in lasting scars that hinder reconciliation and unity.
    8. Humanitarian Crises: Armed conflicts exacerbate humanitarian crises, as access to food, clean water, healthcare, and essential services is severely limited or disrupted. The most vulnerable populations, including children, women, and the elderly, suffer disproportionately.
    9. Diplomatic and Negotiation Failure: Advocates against war argue that peaceful negotiations and diplomatic efforts should always be exhausted before resorting to armed conflict. War can be seen as a failure of diplomacy, emphasizing the importance of alternative methods to resolve disputes.
    10. Uncertainty and Unpredictability: Once engaged in war, outcomes become uncertain, and the consequences may far exceed initial expectations. The unpredictable nature of armed conflict introduces risks that can spiral out of control, causing unintended consequences and further destabilizing regions.
    11. Cultural Heritage and Artistic Loss: Wars often result in the destruction of cultural heritage sites, artifacts, and artistic treasures that hold immense historical and cultural value. The loss of such irreplaceable assets diminishes the collective human heritage.
    12. Opportunities for Peaceful Solutions: Advocates against war emphasize that peaceful resolutions, mediation, and non-violent conflict resolution methods exist and should be explored fully before resorting to armed aggression. Promoting dialogue and understanding can lead to long-term stability and reconciliation.
    13. Long-Term Repercussions: The consequences of war can persist for generations. Post-war reconstruction, healing fractured societies, and addressing the deep scars left by conflicts require significant time, resources, and effort.
    14. Ethical Considerations: Many argue that war fundamentally violates ethical principles, including respect for human life, justice, and the pursuit of the common good. Avoiding war aligns with a moral framework that prioritizes compassion, empathy, and the dignity of all individuals.
    15. Global Interconnectedness: In an increasingly interconnected world, the ripple effects of wars extend beyond borders. Conflicts in one region can have far-reaching consequences, such as refugee flows, economic disruptions, and geopolitical tensions, impacting stability and peace globally.

These are just a few of the many reasons why individuals who oppose war believe that it should be avoided at all costs.

The opposition to war stems from a deep reverence for life and an understanding that sacrificing human lives for the benefit of those who profit from war is ethically unjustifiable. The prevalence of wars fueled by propaganda rather than factual justifications further underscores the urgent need to question the motives and consequences of armed conflicts.

Additionally, the hypocrisy exhibited by military equipment manufacturers who supply weapons to both sides of conflicts, including those with connections to U.S. presidents, demands a critical examination of the profit-driven nature of warfare.

By embracing peace as a core principle, we can strive for a world that prioritizes dialogue, diplomacy, and collective well-being over violence and destruction. This is an opportunity to make the world a better place.

 

I Am Evil and Hatred

I am evil and hatred. All that is evil, the propensity to be the worst person you can ever imagine, engaging in the deepest and darkest deeds imaginable, is part of who I am.

I have been in the presence of the worst, most hated, and despicable individuals, some regarded as the most evil humans to step foot on our planet, and I am just like them.

If I see myself as no better than someone who might be considered as a “bad person” then I am free to separate the sinner from the sin.

Any one of us is one heartbeat away from being one of these individuals. There are falsely accused innocent people branded as “evil.” There are good and decent, loving and upstanding citizens who are doing time behind bars, or on death row, for one misstep, miscalculation, or the moment when overcome by emotion.

We all have the same propensity to be as vile as any other one of us.

Just befriending the wrong person, trusting someone who couldn’t be trusted, or being in the wrong place at the right time, could make even someone as self-righteous as yourself infamous in the worst possible way(s).

Just because someone does something you dislike or despise, doesn’t justify reacting like a knee-jerk fascist, nor does being able to separate the sinner from the sin make you a bleeding-heart pacifist.

It’s just a knowingness that in spite of the word being as disconjointed as it is, we are all in this together. We are all one.

We all have been sold a bill of goods. We have been led to believe that hate is an appropriate approach to smashing out hate when the truth is only love can abolish hate. Hate exponentially engenders more hate, suspicion creates suspicion, violence begets violence, evil promotes evil, and wars lead to more wars.

When wars and rumors of wars are pervasive on our planet, it infects the whole world, no matter how far from the source of conflict you might be.

When you let someone, who does something bad make you feel bad, you have allowed yourself to be infected with the virus which breaks down everything good within us and keeps us separated one from another.

You spread the virus and become the problem, potentially become that which you hate, and promoting the pervasive evil which is leading to the breakdown of all human potential.

As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”

When you feel like you are superior to someone else, you deny our sameness and keep yourself separated from the rest of humanity.

No one is suggesting that you condone the wrongdoings of others, only to remain consciously compassionate enough to realize that under different circumstances, you might have reacted, said, or done the same thing.

You disarm your enemy when you do not respond to hate with hate. When you counter attack your opponent with hate, your opponent wins. The person who has offended you has infiltrated your heart and infected you with his or her virus.

This virus persists and spreads until it is treated with the vaccine of love. Responding to that which offends you with love not only disarms your opponent but injects a bit of love vaccine into your opponent.

Responding to hate with love is the only hope for peace and harmony visiting planet Earth on a global scale.

When I see myself as being just as evil and possessing as much hatred as anyone else, I am empowered to make the decision not to follow the path to evil, and with every breath choose to do that which is good, proper, and in harmony with the life, I choose to lead.

Life is a Battlefield

Life is like a war zone. Everyone is fighting for their lives, for their survival, for their preservation of their self. It’s a constant war of me-versus-you. In some cases we create teams or troops, then it’s us-versus-them. Even so, it is not uncommon for a barrage of me-versus-you appearing within the troops of the us-versus-them. We are surrounded by the war we wage for our self.

Are we all so narcissistic to think that we are so superior to any other person, that any incongruence that we interpret or sense justifies suiting up and weaponizing anything available to us in the immediacy of that moment when our self feel threatened, disregarded or disrespected.

We strike out, strike back in a full on devil may care battle to defend our self, to annihilate the enemy taking no prisoners.

If you don’t see this taking place in your life, you certainly can see it in others. In fact, you may be keenly aware of others posting up to defend their selves and striking out at others, even labeling and pointing out their behavior to others, but unable to see your own participation in the battle. Maybe, it’s out of denial – or an all-out attempt to refuse to see these attributes within – or, you might be using a different set of weapons, hiding behind the shield of the victim.

In most cases, reviewing the base causes initiating the fear of loss and defense of self is based on something that isn’t even real. Some emotionally charged belief in something that cannot be seen, verified or vilified, because it is a feeling. A feeling that created a trigger marking the emergent defense measures being launched, because anything else would mean certain death to what you believe to be true.

Yet, we know that what we believe to be truth changes as we mature or gain access to new information. This has never been more apparent than in these current days of rapidly advancing technology when we actually have been able to witness – with our own eyes – the impossible being an ordinary aspect of everyday life.

Regardless, we see everything in the world all around us as a potential threat as we continue to be keyed-up and on high alert to any prospective assault. And the higher law rewards us by honoring our seeking by giving us the gift of bestowing upon us that which we seek. Universal laws do not change, so this is true: Seek and you will find. (This law sometimes confounds scientific research.)

If you look for demons, you will surely find them. When you discover them, you can initiate the holy war you rage to protect your self, yet again.

If you’re open, and honest, you might find yourself looking inside and asking if all this pain and war is necessary. Why? Because something inside you is yearning for an alternate emotional state, one of peace, serenity, joy and happiness.

When you are in a constant state of combat, there is little space available for experiencing the good things in life with any degree of gratitude or enjoyment. When you are in a high security mindset scanning for potential threats, you find it difficult to find the space for gratitude and allowing yourself to live a better life.
This is true: You are waging a war, when no war exists, that vanishes when you stop fighting it.

It’s your choice. You can choose to love, instead of fight.

It’s not easy, because you’ve spent your whole life being the warrior.

Your love life, your life filled with love and enjoying and cherishing all the good things this life has to offer, is tapping you on the shoulder, even now.

Isn’t now the time to consider putting down your weapons, turning your back on the war, surrounding your self with love and gratitude?