TennesseeTuba68
'Papa Burgundy'
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2005
- Messages
- 129
- Likes
- 3
What is it about war that continues to intrigue the human mind. For thousands of years, the ultimate rite of passage in any society has been for the young ones to go off to claim new territory, subjugate a people, or pillage a city/state. I myself have always been fascinated with war. I always thought it would have been cool to live during world war two and take part in that great campaign. Now here's the kicker. I've read multiple accounts and interviews about battles and wars ranging from a foot soldier in a Roman Legion to our own groundpounders in Iraq and they all have one thing in common. They want to go home. Why the luster of such an ugly thing.
Even in modern day when one knows that war is ugly, it is still romanticized. All small children play some form of war when they are younger. Typically it's small boys but still. The whole video game market has been driven by one type of video game for the most part. That video game is the 'first person shooter'. Halo, Medal of Honor, Gears of War, the list goes on and on. They thrust the person into a 'virtual battlefield' where there is no worry about injury or pain. They enjoy the slaughter. Plain and simple. Here's the bottomline....
Humans love to kill.
That, however, is not a condemnation of the entire race. But let's keep going.
War is conflict. Think about how you were in high school. what was fun. Drama, fights, football games...all of those things are bred from conflict. Humans feed on conflict. Watch the news for more than 10 minutes and i guarantee you'll hear at least 3 or 4 stories about someone killing or an army seizing control of a government in a country. Why report these things? is there anything that Joe Martin in Podekwana, Ohio can do about it? of course not, but he's gonna sit there and listen to all of it. WHY? Because he loves to hear about it.
Even our 'recreational sports' such as football, soccer, baseball, etc. have become microcosms of war. Names such as Bear Bryant, Bobby Knight, and Joe Torre are uttered in the same breath as great Generals and commanders such as Napoleon, Lee, and Hannibal.
Why is that you think?
Because to the human mind, the most trivial pursuit of competition is war. Conflict drives us to excel. It was said that in WW2 that a single member of the 101st Airborne Division was in better shape than a professional boxer. Why such conditioning? because they had to be better than the sorry German that got lined up on the other side.
Duty, honor, and love for country are merely masks for what really drives us....Why the glamor of war? Why the need for bloodshed? Why the need to plant your flag atop the ruins of another civlization?
So with that said let me say that this isnt saying war is not a necessity. Conflict has been prevalant on this planet since Cain and Able. Nor is this a call for complete and utter peace. The romans used to say 'if you want peace prepare for war'. I for one have always thought of this as sound advice. With that in mind i ask for opinions and other such observations from those who read this. I appreciate the input.
Even in modern day when one knows that war is ugly, it is still romanticized. All small children play some form of war when they are younger. Typically it's small boys but still. The whole video game market has been driven by one type of video game for the most part. That video game is the 'first person shooter'. Halo, Medal of Honor, Gears of War, the list goes on and on. They thrust the person into a 'virtual battlefield' where there is no worry about injury or pain. They enjoy the slaughter. Plain and simple. Here's the bottomline....
Humans love to kill.
That, however, is not a condemnation of the entire race. But let's keep going.
War is conflict. Think about how you were in high school. what was fun. Drama, fights, football games...all of those things are bred from conflict. Humans feed on conflict. Watch the news for more than 10 minutes and i guarantee you'll hear at least 3 or 4 stories about someone killing or an army seizing control of a government in a country. Why report these things? is there anything that Joe Martin in Podekwana, Ohio can do about it? of course not, but he's gonna sit there and listen to all of it. WHY? Because he loves to hear about it.
Even our 'recreational sports' such as football, soccer, baseball, etc. have become microcosms of war. Names such as Bear Bryant, Bobby Knight, and Joe Torre are uttered in the same breath as great Generals and commanders such as Napoleon, Lee, and Hannibal.
Why is that you think?
Because to the human mind, the most trivial pursuit of competition is war. Conflict drives us to excel. It was said that in WW2 that a single member of the 101st Airborne Division was in better shape than a professional boxer. Why such conditioning? because they had to be better than the sorry German that got lined up on the other side.
Duty, honor, and love for country are merely masks for what really drives us....Why the glamor of war? Why the need for bloodshed? Why the need to plant your flag atop the ruins of another civlization?
So with that said let me say that this isnt saying war is not a necessity. Conflict has been prevalant on this planet since Cain and Able. Nor is this a call for complete and utter peace. The romans used to say 'if you want peace prepare for war'. I for one have always thought of this as sound advice. With that in mind i ask for opinions and other such observations from those who read this. I appreciate the input.
lol:
