Eyes on the Globe Paradox Edition: Is Peace of War and Is War of Peace?
By: Omar Ateyah,
Staff Writer
Ideally, this article category should contain information on current world events, to educate students, learning coaches, and teachers, and encourage them to look around the globe and try to reform it. Well, you could probably tell by the title that I have something a little bit different in mind. Now, generally paradoxes would fit into the Fun Stop category (check back in next month), but today I wanted to share with you a paradox that I concocted. And it’s appropriate for this category, because if you contemplate the majority of circumstances that our world finds itself in you will typically come down to two omnipresent factors: war and peace. So, here’s my paradox:
Is Peace of War, in the sense that the former will be brought about by the latter, and is War of Peace in which seemingly harmonious peace brings about conflict among people all over the world?
Now, here’s a strange concept that will certainly get you thinking. Let’s focus on the first part. Naturally, a lot of my readers will think that to earn peace in a nation, you will often have to fight, vanquish, and conquer. Now, when I say this, I’m not talking about rebellions that stamp out injustice; I speak of torments to stomp out rebellions, as well as some nations trying to soothe tension by invading and decimating others.
So, could intervention violence or authoritative violence bring about peace? Let’s use two fictional countries called Omarvania and Ateytopia as models. Ateytopia has had some shifty developments taking place within its boundaries; the dictatorship of this nation has been developing nuclear weaponry for no clear reason, and its unstable leader, Lunatic Lance-Lola, is not to be trusted with such advances. Should Omarvania, the only nation competent and well equipped enough to intervene, step forth to stop Ateytopia and involve itself in ending the developments?
If Omarvania really is strong enough, it could do a one-strike-ends-all; step in once to frighten Ateytopia, and then perhaps everything will end. But, Ateytopia is unforgiving and it will return with a vengeance, causing great civilian casualties to itself and to Omarvania. Then, these two super power nations will be in full-scale war, calling in allies and comrades, the possibilities for mass destruction increasing.
So, will the outcome of this be peace? In a very narrow sense, it could. This is so because eventually the fighting will end, and if Omarvania manages to off Ateytopia, then ultimately, resolution might come about; again you never know what Omarvania would do with its newfound power. But, think about the casualties. Many civilians will have expired in the conflict, cities will be destroyed, people will be hungry and thirsty, so ultimately on both sides no one wins and no one is happy: the extreme antonym of peace. Let me know in the comments; Is Peace of War (as in, is War the sole ancestor and engenderment of peace), and what support do you have for your claim?
Let’s now consider the second part of my paradox. Is it possible that too much peacefulness could bring about war? Well, in my opinion, it often has a very simple two word answer: human nature. Does the human soul, in its deepest premises, lust the destruction of its own temporary home? It’s very possible; human beings have been living in the midst of war, crime, and poverty for so long that maybe we’re becoming desensitized to such concepts. And here’s how this concept works:
Discomfort (the initial feeling we have towards conflicts in our innocent years)
LEADS TO
Desensitization…eventually
(centuries upon centuries have allowed us to grow immune to such aspects)
LEADS TO
Comfort
(we soon find ourselves living life and settling in such a world)
LEADS TO
Friendship
(now we take it as a companion and our life is not complete without the evil that exists on our planet)
Of course, the above cannot be stated as true for every single individual, but a lot of us no longer view world conflict as detrimental which could lead to the aforementioned cycle. So if we allow ourselves to fall into the vicious cycle, eventually our hearts will rust and freeze, allowing us to find harmony in war and others of its like. In other words, it’s taking the devil as a friend and leaving the angel to rot.
So do you agree that War could emerge from Peace, or is Peace truly the obstinate force that refuses to budge, despite human nature and desire? And could Peace actually arise from the ashes left behind from the calamities of War? Share your thoughts in the comments below!