What Is It Good For?
Back in olden days, people used to wage wars for obvious reasons: gaining territory, overthrowing vicious tyrants, liberating kidnapped maidens, stuff like that. But I don’t understand what the hell people are fighting and killing each other for these days: promoting democracy? Asserting sovereignty? Showing off?
Thomas Hobbes said that the three principle causes of quarrel among people are competition, diffidence, and glory. I would add at least a fourth—vengeance—and perhaps a fifth: arms dealers. That said, however, I still don’t get why all these military conflicts rage unchecked all around the globe.
And more to the point, I don’t see how many of them can ever possibly end. When the goal of the fighting isn’t even clear, how can anyone ever know it’s time to stop? As we’ve seen, claiming “mission accomplished” doesn’t make it so, and if I don’t even know what my mission is, how can I ever say it’s complete?
As far as I can tell, many of the combatants in current wars have as their goal nothing else than the extinction of their enemies. I suppose this is a time-honored objective, but it strikes me as hopeless. The more people you kill, the more enemies you make, so unless you kill everyone, there will always be more fighting.
I could almost understand a war for oil, if it, too, didn’t seem self-defeating. Isn’t it likely that more petroleum products are used and burned in waging such combat than would be secured by winning it?
Over the years, Mimi and I have had a number of water fights and they always unfold pretty much the same way. It starts with a squirt gun or a few drops flicked from a finger. Soon cups of liquid are being exchanged, then buckets. Eventually, it escalates to spray from the source and a tug of war over the garden house.
At least, though, we always know how it will end: in tears, usually mine.
Thomas Hobbes said that the three principle causes of quarrel among people are competition, diffidence, and glory. I would add at least a fourth—vengeance—and perhaps a fifth: arms dealers. That said, however, I still don’t get why all these military conflicts rage unchecked all around the globe.
And more to the point, I don’t see how many of them can ever possibly end. When the goal of the fighting isn’t even clear, how can anyone ever know it’s time to stop? As we’ve seen, claiming “mission accomplished” doesn’t make it so, and if I don’t even know what my mission is, how can I ever say it’s complete?
As far as I can tell, many of the combatants in current wars have as their goal nothing else than the extinction of their enemies. I suppose this is a time-honored objective, but it strikes me as hopeless. The more people you kill, the more enemies you make, so unless you kill everyone, there will always be more fighting.
I could almost understand a war for oil, if it, too, didn’t seem self-defeating. Isn’t it likely that more petroleum products are used and burned in waging such combat than would be secured by winning it?
Over the years, Mimi and I have had a number of water fights and they always unfold pretty much the same way. It starts with a squirt gun or a few drops flicked from a finger. Soon cups of liquid are being exchanged, then buckets. Eventually, it escalates to spray from the source and a tug of war over the garden house.
At least, though, we always know how it will end: in tears, usually mine.
posted by Professor Dave at 11:02 AM
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