War and peace

I once wrote that it is ideas that change the world.  There are ideas like liberal democracy and human rights that seek to create a better world. But there are other ideas that have been with us since the beginning of man that seems to go into the opposite direction and yet continue to dominate our daily lives.

I am talking of the idea of War. I notice when we talk about great men of peace, we refer to them as saints, philosophers or statesmen  like Gandhi or Martin Luther King. The word “hero” is normally attributed to warriors or to those who are leaders during warfare like Winston Churchill. 

In history books, the great heroes were conquerors like Alexander the Great, Julius Cesar and Napoleon. They were generals like Rommel or MacArthur. In Philippine history, Juan Luna was one of the greatest artists whose works remain admired up to now. But it is his brother Heneral Antonio Luna we honor as a hero. 

Perhaps this is  the reason why the word “war” is attached to many other things aside from actual warfare. We have a war on drugs and even finding a medical cure is called a war on cancer. 

Business success is based on strategy which is actually has its beginning in military strategy. The origin of the term is the Greek word strategos which loosely means a general or commanding officer. Competitors are seen as the enemy and potential competitors as threats. Companies must expand territories or market share by conquering or diminishing territories or market share of competitors. 

Society has even found ways to romanticize war. Winston wrote a great book on the Birth of Britain; but, it is his speeches on war that resonate through history. At the start of the Second World War on Oct. 29, 1941,  this is what he said:

“ Do not let us speak of darker days; let us speak rather of sterner days. These are not dark days; these are great days – the greatest days our country has ever lived.”

William Shakespeare also wrote in the same manner when he wrote a dialogue in his play Henry V: “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he today that sheds his blood with me; shall be my brother.”

Today the world is mired in wars or threats of all kinds of wars. We have religious wars pitting one religion against another. We have geopolitical wars among nations  that seek to expand territories.  We have regimes, like North Korea, who believe that the only means of survival is the threat of war.

The idea that “War is Good” is not new. An 18th century German philosopher, Georg Friedrich Hegel wrote that war makes us realize that trivia such as goods and individual lives matter little and that it is through war that moral health of people is preserved. His views encouraged war worship that still exists in many areas today. In 1870 when Prussia invaded France, General von Moltke said: “Everlasting peace is a dream, and not even a pleasant one. War is a necessary part of God’s order.”

Now we find that issues like homosexuality, same sex marriages, feminism and religion are called “culture wars.” The thing that frightens me about war is that it requires conflict. In turn conflict requires an enemy. And, in order to rally people to join one side of the war, the other side must always be labelled as villains. 

War is, therefore, only possible if there is a feeling of “them” against “us.” Even in universities, the bastions of intellectualism, there are fraternity wars. The war on drugs sees addicts as villains and not victims. Conflict between “them” and “us” seems to serve as adrenalin. Notice that the biggest attended basketball games are always between La Salle and Ateneo; and its rivalry is glorified and romanticized. Even people who do not really appreciate the nuances of the game closely monitor every game. I must confess that I am personally guilty of this behavior. 

Of course, there is a big difference between school rivalry and nations preparing to go to war against others. But I sometimes wonder if war, conflict and violence really form part of the nature of humankind. I wonder if tribalism will always exist whether among nations, religions, ethnic groups, social classes, political groups, schools, fraternities and hoodlum gangs. 

I am reminded of a science fiction movie I once saw. Earth was on the verge of sending its first space exploration teams. The other civilizations in the galaxy sent someone to investigate this new race. Based on  his report, it was decided that there was a need to totally obliterate the earth. Its people were too violent and the other species were worried that the human species would spread this seed of violence throughout the galaxy.

War has often been defined as the absence of peace which is often defined simply as freedom from war. Let me end with the inspiration for this column. It is Christmas time. It is a time to be optimistic about our future. In spite of all the threats and conflicts let me share with you the lyrics of a truly inspiring song:

“ Let there be peace on earth. And let it begin with me. Let there be peace on earth. The peace that was meant to be. With God as our Father. Brothers all are we. Let me walk with my brother in perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with  me. Let this be the moment now. With every step I take. Let this be my solemn vow. To take each moment . And live each moment. With peace eternally. Let there be peace on earth. Let it begin with me.”