Nothing, I say. Not a thing. It may stop tyranny and barbarity for a time, but it does not root it out. Will there be one final war to end all wars? Not likely.
A strange oppositional effect needs to be acknowledged here. The stronger you are, the less you have to display that strength. A bigger, stronger military can deter agression is the suggested outcome. In our current world, this seems to be true, at least for thousands of years. I can’t stand that I even wrote that sentence. I wish for a completely peaceful world where war has no place. If I could snap my fingers and do away with war, I would do it, even knowing there would be unintended consequences.
But I would also snap my fingers at the same time to cause some way of fostering love for others as the way of living together. In other words, I would not snap my fingers to end war without snapping my fingers to bring love to every heart.
One of my history professors would occasionally push back on my idealistic leanings. One of his tried and true pushbacks was to ask me where I saw my idea in action? Who has been able to excel at living without war? Who was a model for living by love?
This is where he had the edge on me. I might say Costa Rica, or the Swiss, Or Jesus or Gandhi, and he would give me some credit but would go on to instruct me in how they all fell short, even Jesus, of making love the way of life, and ending all war.
I love that professor, one of a handful that I feel that close to. But something is still wrong. His family had seen the horrors of Nazi Germany and WWII. He had far more skin in the game. My respect for him is immense. Still, we must do better.
I refuse to believe that we must settle all our ongoing disputes with war. And I’m talking about all agressions, micro, and all the way to the Middle East as well as Russia and the Ukraine.
We must stop killing people, we simply must. It can be solved only by one courageous and loving act at our level. Micro acts of love. Protect and defend others we must of course. But that responsibility can be met with strong and wise character in each of us. We need to learn how to use peace and prosperity to protect and defend others.
It seems like there is a war going on somewhere just about all the time. I wonder what would happen if we could get a 5 or even 10 year period of relative peace? What would life on this planet be like then? I’m a Christian Humanist with Bible based ideas about life supported by principles found in nature. That makes me hopeful because I am commanded to love.
There is a way forward and renouncing war as a way of solving disputes is intrinsic to that way. Lets do what we can and pray what we can pray and stand respectfully for life everywhere.