Does humanity even want peace? Or is it empty words to make us feel better?
By EvanHunter
@EvanHunter (4026)
United States
February 22, 2010 10:42pm CST
You watch a beauty pageant and you are bound to hear someone say something about world peace. You go to church or watch the news and someone will promise we will have peace when this or that happens. People talk about peace but it seems like our desires are far from it. I say this because I look across the religious board and I notice the topics that seem to draw the most replies are always the most controversial ones. Out of all the topics I have ever posted on here the one I got the least replies in was the one I recently posted on how two different factions (Christian and Muslim) were lead to peace by the women of a waring country.
It seems that even subconsciously people don't really want peace they just want to say it in casual so they can feel better about themselves as if it makes us more humanitarian. We are shown all the reasons why to go to war but we never see the horrors that go on during the war as if to blind us from the reality of what not having peace causes. Someone says they want peace and they are called unpatriotic portrayed as a nut case even if they can or have seen the real costs of war. Who is to blame for us being blind to the truth is it the news? Or is the truth that we really don't want to know what the cost of war is because than we might have to face that we are responsible because of our own inaction?
There will be no peace until people want it more than they want revenge, more than they want to see their favorite show on TV, more than they want to point out how others are wrong, more than arguing over left or right. There is an old saying if you want peace prepare for war, I tell you now the truth is the only war is admitting you are doing nothing and get to doing something. If you want peace you have to put it first because without peace there wont be job security, there wont be a stable economy and there wont be civil rights.
7 people like this
14 responses
@scarlet_woman (23465)
• United States
9 Mar 10
the more i see documentaries on chimps,the more i wonder if darwin was right.
there was one where a chimpanzee had wandered into an anthropologist's camp..this ape was a lesser member of the troop of apes.anyway,he found an empty metal water can,and proceeded to bang it around,scaring all the other chimps with it.he soon became alpha by using fear tactics on the other apes.
in a way,humans do that too.
it's all about who has the biggest can and makes the most noise.know what i mean?
i think sometimes it's not in us to be really peaceful.
@1hopefulman (45123)
• Canada
24 Feb 10
You are well aware that there are those that want peace and those that don't. So how will there ever be peace? Only if God removes those that don't want peace. Will He ever do that?
Psalm 37:9-11 (New International Version)
9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 [b]But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace.[/b]
@rogue13xmen13 (14403)
• United States
23 Feb 10
I think a lot of it is empty words. They say it just to get people to like them or sympathize with them. If people really wanted peace, we wouldn't be in the mess we are all in right now.
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
23 Feb 10
"There is an old saying if you want peace prepare for war, I tell you now the truth is the only war is admitting you are doing nothing and get to doing something."
The reason that they say "if you want peace, prepare for war" is because however much one people may want peace, there will be others who will see the peaceful and unprepared as easy victims, ready for conquest.
Human nature is such that there will always be those who will make war. Being prepared to defend yourself or willing to fight the aggressor does not make you a warmonger. The way for evil to win is for men of good will to do nothing. Wars are not always fought for revenge, they may be fought for land, resources, simple greed or desire for power. To repel those who would conquer the innocent in their quest for power is not warmongering.
The only way to conquer war is to conquer human nature. The only way to do that is through God.
Even in just wars, innocent lives are lost. War is a terrible thing, it always entails human suffering.
I would love to live in peaceful times. But the peace can only be kept through the vigilance of those who do not want war. Peace cannot be established by wishing for it or even by practicing it. Peace is maintained by never wanting to go to war, and by being ready to defend yourself and even by being willing to go to war for a just cause.
@Ravenladyj (22904)
• United States
23 Feb 10
I think the majority want peace but the problem is its something that has to be worked at AND people would have to learn to be openminded and not only accept that others are different but would have to RESPECT that and them as well and sadly the masses are @sses and can't/won't do that.....I think that true peace for the most part is very attainable if only ppl would stop being so arrogant, selfish and self absorbed...
@mari61960 (4893)
• United States
23 Feb 10
It's sad and until there is a worldwide catastrophe I don't think we as a whole will be able to "just get along" and stop fighting. I see it very simply...people helping people for the betterment of all. Well it's not that simple...there is money and power and politics, etc. involved. Heck people can't even seem to get along in their own neighborhoods never mind all over the world. Don't get me wrong...it's what I truly want, I just don't see it in my current lifetime..and that's sad because if I can figure it out....it anin't that damn tough.
I really think it is going to take stripping us of everything before everyone figures it out.
It makes me so angry when people are oh so nice to others and all get along when there is a disaster. When before the disaster they were.."those people over there" perhaps a poor country. Well didn't you see that "those people" needed help before the disaster??? No one gave it a thought then. It just makes me so disgusted in humanity. You would think in all these years and generation after generations of people...and still they haven't quite figured out that getting along and helping each other benefits all mankind...no one is really any better that anyone else.... "heavy sigh"....perhaps some day, some lifetime.
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
23 Feb 10
People used to wave their hands with two fingers in the shape of 'V' as a sign of peace as a formal gesture. And in church the priest will announce to the congregation to show the sign of peace and everyone will extend their hands to each other in handshake as a sign of peace. Whether or not we are religious, each of us should make a commitment for peace and sincerity and love for humanity. All of us are the children of God, the Creator and it is our duty to emulate His Limitless qualities.
Most world leaders, international organizations and peace summits tend to define peace in the shadow of war, as 'a situation where there is no war' between nations.
It is widely acknowledged that it is easier to appreciate what is good when one has already experienced the 'bad'. But the question today is not of 'experiencing' the bad. The challenge today is in creating peace. And this cannot be done if we keep concentrating on destruction.
Peace is a natural instinct and if we wish to live in a peaceful world, we have to let it manifest in our lives.
@mlhuff12 (797)
• United States
23 Feb 10
I believe that the majority of humanity do want peace. But there is a small percent compared to the rest of the world that is ruining the chance of peace for the rest. These people will always exist and will always be out there. They may believe their actions or for the sake of their religion(I'm not only saying this for certain religions, but many), but it is still disrupting and will never allow peace to exist. The only peace one can really find is inner peace. Which I believe is more important than world peace. World peace without inner peace is not really peace at all.
@redhotpogo (4401)
• United States
23 Feb 10
Real peace is hard to obtain. Most people don't care enough to obtain that, they go for the disgusting alternative, because really they only care about themselves. A peace where no one bothers them, and they stay out of everyone's business, everyone keeps to themselves. While cruel dictators enslave people, torture, and kill them. The kind of peace that causes you to turn your head the other way so you can pretend everything is ok. I want peace. Peace where no man hurts another. Is that possible? yes. Will that ever happen? Not with these people.
@LaurenInLA (2270)
• United States
23 Feb 10
Oh, I think that we all want peace but we want it within the confines of our beliefs which is quite unfortunate. Until we all accept our differences and respect our neighbors right to believe differently that we do, I don't think that we can have a lasting peace. We should celebrate our differences and learn to peacefully co-exist even though our beliefs differ and we would find the world a much nicer place to live in. I think that even though different religions and different philosphies exist in this world that we all do have a common ground. we all want to live the best life that we possibly can and we want our children to have a better life than we have. Religion and politics aside, I think that this is a point that we can all agree on and perhaps we can build from there.
@jambi462 (4576)
• United States
23 Feb 10
Thank you for posting this it's greatly written and also a highly educated observation. Lot's of people do like to act like they are all about peace but you don't really see a whole lot of solid effort on a lot of people's parts to make the world a better place. There are so many simple things out there that we could be doing to help each other but we don't because it makes us have to do a little bit more in life.
People now a days are getting to the point where they won't even listen to people that are trying to come up with new ideas to help benefit humankind as a whole. I've been starting to notice that a lot of people are beginning to become satisified with their current situations. People are beginnning to settle for just an okay life because choices are getting slim. Human kind as a whole is beginning to grow apart from each other, I desperately hope that we someday realize that we are all the same species of animal and none of us should be leading each other and no body should be better the anybody else. Eliminating competition would be a nice step towards peace.
@Omfgbbqsauce (138)
• New Zealand
23 Feb 10
Too much prejudice in this world for there to be world peace. I see racism , other religions fighting each other ,and inequality everyday. Some people just can't accept that some people are different from them. Wars ensue because of this.
Under the pretense of achieving peace , we march into war BUT all we're doing is just pushing world peace further away.
