Humans have always resorted to violence for expansion. Early humans used violence to tame the predators with sharp weapons and fire. Later, as our ancestors evolved, the hunter-gatherer mentality was surpassed by the greed for natural resources and land.
The insatiable nature of mankind is responsible for material prosperity and enhancement in living standards, though like most good things, humans have no idea when it is time to stop. More the merrier has become an unspoken commandment for people who seek growth. How can a particular thing be categorized as ambition for one person and greed for others?
The world as we know it is not just about the here and now. Diplomatic relations and international boundaries have been drawn and redrawn many times over. As compared to previous centuries, we live in peaceful times and this general sense of calm has moulded most people to cherish tranquility.
Revenge and hate are strong negative emotions which inflict universal pain. A person at the receiving end may sustain severe damage from an assault, but the psychological burden of being an aggressor dismantles all prospects of contentment. The human birth is an opportunity to attain freedom from the cycle of rebirth. Try telling this to the warmongers.
Compassion and collaboration have achieved more than quarrel. Goodness lacks masculinity and audacity. Sadly, our world correlates fighting spirit with fighting and it worships polarizing individuals. Disregard for consensus has become a synonym for decisiveness.
Seeking Attention and Respect
The erstwhile Soviet Union was dismantled methodically. Countries in western Europe and United States secretly supported breakaway regions and recognized them. Vladimir Putin, the current Russian President, is a former KGB agent. He must have resolved to avenge the humiliation at an appropriate time. In the last ten years, Putin is diligently trying to regain the lost glory of Soviet Union.
A world distracted by the pandemic and United States’ hyper focus on China was the perfect opening for Putin. The Biden administration has been busy with inflation. Germany and France offered to mediate between Ukraine and Russia, but no country has pledged military assistance. Sending money and ammunition serve no real purpose.
Inexpensive Human Life
The war in Ukraine has once again shown the world that in the moment of crisis, ‘you are on your own’. Heads of state & government, national security advisors and war engineers orchestrate the action on battlefield from comfortable and secure rooms. They are ready to sacrifice a few of their own as part of the bargain. Collateral damage is decorated on walls at war memorials.
A person seeking peace is seen as submissive and incapable to fight. Material objects are tools of convenience. Things left behind are forgotten with time. Losing family members, friends and a sense of community are the mental health consequences of war. The resolve and grit of human beings gets tested in many ways. People who flee their homes and lose someone during conflict shall deal with the scars of war for the rest of their lives.
Righting Wrongs
Almost all wrongdoers formulate a script to sell their version of the truth. When two people are fighting for something, there are three set of facts. One for each party and the real truth. Simply put, there are n+1 versions of an event. People on all sides are guided by the ‘inner calling’ to right past wrongs. In all this chaos, the version which garners maximum acceptance is recorded as history. In the coming years, someone will question the authenticity of facts and wage a war to rewrite history.
United Nations: Zombie League
UN is the most dysfunctional organization in the whole world. It can counter the argument by showing what it is doing in the field of education and climate change, but the ineffectiveness of its efforts in propagating peace has left a vacuum in the corridors of diplomacy. When a handful of countries are given discriminatory and discretionary powers, what else can be expected from them.
Permanent members of the UN Security Council have time and again misused their veto powers to dissect and dismantle vulnerable nations. How is it possible to have opposing views for all conflicts in the world? When a dictator in Africa bulldozes its critics, at least one of the permanent members defends the cruelty. On other instances, a bully ruler in the middle east is not held accountable because of geo-political compulsions.
Moral Compass Error
Does any large country in the world has the moral right to question the actions of its contemporaries? How did every country relinquish the authority to question human right violations? When a person litters the street, they cannot stop others from doing it. Overlooking brazen human rights violations is the new normal.