War, Peace and People
War, according to the Merriam-Webster, is:
1. A state or period of fighting between countries or groups.
2. A situation in which people or groups compete with or fight against each other.
3. An organized effort by a government or other large organization to stop or defeat something that is viewed as dangerous or bad.
In essence, it can be seen that war is an active conflict. Abstractly, it could even exist within a mind.
We have, since childhood, been taught that conflict is something undesirable. We must always seek to make peace, whether it be with each other, or within ourselves. Being “conflicted” almost always carries a negative connotation to it. And it must be accepted that the two “Great Wars”, World War One and World War Two irrevocably changed the world.
These two wars were Total Wars. Total Wars are defined as “A war that is unrestricted in terms of the weapons used, the territory or combatants involved, or the objectives pursued, especially one in which the laws of war are disregarded.” To put things in perspective, in World War One there were approximately 20 million deaths, and 21 million were left wounded. World War Two was even more horrifying, with 60 million deaths and 25 million wounded. This can be conceptualized as if every 23rd person in India suddenly disappeared.
It may be hard to believe it, but we live in one of the most peaceful periods of human history. In light of this, abhorrence towards war, or seeing it as a monstrosity is not unnatural. After all, the effects of war are both short term and long term. In particular, women and children, the most vulnerable even in more stable times, may have to go through repugnant atrocities. In fact, the statement “To save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.” is one of the first words of the UN Charter.
Even a war contained within a person can cause great harm to their surroundings. Domestic violence is a chilling and all too common example of this. It has a broad scope, and a wide range of effect, whether it be physical or mental. As a general rule, it is women and children who are once again hit the hardest by this. And the scars left by this, as by all types of violence, are long lasting. They may even be life changing. We must always seek a better peace.
A better peace: What can that mean? Peace, in itself, is difficult to define. If we turn to philosophy, its meanings become even more discordant. Western philosophy often sees peace as an absence of dissention and violence. This is a meaning found in the New Testament, and also, perhaps not so incidentally, the dictionary definition.
Eastern philosophy, by contrast, sees peace as a state of concord, tranquillity and harmony. Serenity and peace of mind. A painting, even with various contradictory colours, does not possess any conflict in it, symbolizing peace. Peace can be a dichotomy. This is the definition used in this work. This is merely a perspective, however, endowed with power due to a particular perception of reality.
Using this definition, a more positive meaning of war may be construed. A revolution may also be considered a form of war. And revolutions, as said by Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher, are a vital force for the advancement of mankind.
Revolution comes from the Latin word “turnaround”, and is often used to denote a huge political change. We live in a constantly evolving world. A lot of the changes that occur are slow, and quite steady. But, at a critical juncture of history, there can happen an enormous development that tears off fundamental parts of the previous social order. This upheaval is what can be defined as a revolution.
A revolution causes myriads of alterations in how society, and how an individual person sees things. There can be changes in leadership, political institutions, social structure, or even the values of a society. They can happen due to a revolt, as they are typically perceived. They can also happen due to technological and economic changes, like the Industrial Revolution. They can even happen inside a person’s own mind.
Revolutions are tumultuous affairs. And this tumult is often due to resistance to change. Yet, transitions are often necessary for the survival and advancement of the people. The Age of Revolution, which commenced in late 18th century and continued until about the mid-19th century is important for the handover of power from absolute monarchies to that of nation-states with a written constitution. This was instrumental for the rise of democracy.
A revolution in the inside of the mind can have a similar positive effect. When a person sees how they can change for the better, they can proceed to take steps to bring about a drastic change in themselves. Steve Jobs was once deposed as the leader of Apple. He then created a new company called NeXT. When NeXT was acquired by Apple, Jobs became the CEO of Apple once again, bringing with him a completely changed management philosophy that has stayed embedded in the company and its culture ever since. And, as we can all see, the rise of the company has been irrepressible since then.
This shows, revolutions can bring about a better peace. Conceivably, we can stop fearing the word “war”, and instead focus on using it for better purposes. Purposes that could feasibly create a conjunction of war and peace.
