This is something that I wrote awhile back. I think it still applies.
War's stupid. Whenever I start to really think it about it it doesn't make any sense. Now, having a war with aliens that would take over the planet is understandable, because you're doing it for survival. But what's the point of just killing people to get what you want? That's like you're walking down a trail and then a cow walks in your way. So then you just kill the cow and step over it instead of just walking around. And then the cow's owner demands that you pay him for the cow. So you're out all this money when there were simpler ways to get what you want. War's even worse because the countries lose money and human lives are lost when there were simpler ways. When Call of Duty: MW3 went on sale in November, 2011, people spent over $400 million dollars on it during the FIRST 24 HOURS!!! War is viewed by most kids in America as fun and exciting. Kids talk about guns, weapons that kill people, with the admiration that is equaled by little else. I think if war continues like this, it will probably destroy the whole world, or at least civilization as we know it.
This is a very awesome blog post! COD is exciting, and when no one is getting hurt in real life, the adrenalin rush is fun. This is why it is fun to be a firefighter, nurse, or Paramedic, too! Except then, the adrenalin rush is because you are being a hero and saving a life. (Maybe we should develop a firefighter videogame that is as intense as COD?)
ReplyDeleteHowever, what if instead of aliens, the people in the country next to yours--who speak a different language--decided to take over your contry, and kill a lot of us, and turn us into slaves? It is really easy for humans to criticize and choose to hate other humans. Especially if you do not really know that other person very well (like if you don't speak their language, and they eat gross food, and their skin is different).
Criticism feeds itself, and when you start believing that the other person is evil and nasty, then killing them becomes really easy! The only thing that can change this normal human cycle (we are born broken...), is when someone Perfect decides to die a horrible and painful death, and still love and forgive the people who killed him.
Very important conversation here. Thank you Samuel for posting it and thinking about tough stuff. I too have always felt that war is stupid. Maybe that's why it's hard for me to get into Football and other sports on TV... it's just "Us" versus "Them" and your enthusiasm has mostly to do with where you live or were from... which is kind of silly because if you were born or raised in Oklahoma, for example, you would naturally like the Sooners... but if you were born in Nebraska you would naturally like the Huskers... and if you were born in California, like me, you wouldn't know which was which. Well, maybe that's a bad example, but I think war is stupid and adults should have better ways of working things out - just like you said. :)
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