War

Honestly, I hate the concept of war in and of itself. I think it's nothing but a manifestation of the worst parts of our nature as human beings. Yes it's something fascinating to think, write and read about but most of that comes from the archaic romanticized notions that we used to have of it and that some of us still do. There are many reasons nations go to war, obviously. But whether it be to gain land, protect themselves, or to showcase power (those are just a few of the reasons I can think of off the top of my head) there are very few instances throughout history and even to this day that I would say justify such actions. Obviously self defense is really the only justifiable reason but like with so many other things in life, nothing is black and white. Then of course there's the whole patriotic aspect of war and don't get me wrong, I consider myself to be a pretty patriotic man, but I feel that more often than not, patriotism is simply used as a tool to light the fire in peoples stomachs and stoke people up for a cause that in many cases, is being pursued for all the wrong reasons. I respect those who choose to serve in the military, mainly because I think that most of them are in it for the right reasons, but I don't think we should blindly adore those in the service because I think each individual should be judged based on their own personal actions and credentials instead of just the flag that they walk under. War is cruel, vile, and more often than not, an unnecessary tragedy. I think diplomacy should always come first. It's a wonderful thing to see things between nations being worked out in a diplomatic fashion instead of coming to blows and I really wish that would happen more often. However, I'm not naïve. I know that sometimes nations get into conflicts that are inevitable and that war is sometimes unavoidable. That, however, shouldn't be used as a cop out for going straight to a violent approach. I think that war should be the last of all last resorts but when it eventually does come to that, I think the actions nations take during times of war are a strong reflection of the values that they claim to represent. How a nation treats prisoners of war and enemy combatants is a manifestation of what they represent and in many cases what they display to the world. It would be amazing to see a world without war, but I know that because of our innate flaws as human beings, I most likely wont see that day. That doesn't mean, however, that we should just say fuck it and do whatever we want. Being human is more than being able to survive, it is being able to get through life while having and standing by principles, through both times of peace, and times of war.