The Paradox of Peace

For those that are anti-war, as hard as war may seem, and as hard as it may be to accept it, the invasion of Ukraine is a prime example as to why we need a military. Let’s set aside the idea that we need to stop all wars and live in a utopia because as long as there are people like Putin, war will always be on the table because they are dictators and don’t care about the people. It’s about ruling the world with an iron fist. A dictator would have people killed for putting their drink down onto a newspaper that happens to be over their face. To believe we can achieve a Utopian society is the epitome of naivety and willful ignorance that you can turn a blind eye to. Put has threatened nuclear war, which could wipe out this entire nation. The result of Nuclear Holocaust is death. There is no coming back from that. It’s a terrible thing, but as long as genetic factors predispose someone to, let’s say, narcissism, we will always have to defend those who want peace by going to war with those who wish to cause human suffering leaving diplomacy off the table. It’s a grotesque and awful end game plan, but when people jeopardize the lives of millions, like Hitler, Hussein, and other authoritarian leaders, we have to defend human rights.

Is there an alternative? Yes. In a dystopian fashion, we could police people in such a way as to jail those with genetic predispositions to crime. We can start censoring words that may upset others, taking away free speech. We can stop religious beliefs because it can lead to war. We can kill our adversaries before they commit a crime solely on the fact that they may do it. If this sounds like a horrible idea to you, you would be right, as these are the ingredients for an authoritarian regime. Censoring, jailing, or killing people off the basis that one can commit crimes or atrocities is societal eugenics. None of that is justifiable to maintain peace. We would be no better than those we fight against to lessen human suffering. Evidence and a fair trial are diplomatic, and no matter how bad you want to kill someone for their actions without a trial, it is the only way to maintain some civility. No one should seek out war, but we should always be prepared for it..