A Thought on War

In passing, I overheard a conversation regarding the economy in its present state, and a distaste for it. The primary stipulation essentially amounted to the idea that the U.S. missed out on financial opportunities by failing to turn Desert Storm into a ‘real war’.

I imagine it’s an idea that makes sense from an economic perspective. The circumstance of continued warfare generates jobs in a number of fields. It spurs the development of new technology, which can then be sold, to say nothing of tinkering with the applications to develop related technologies. It grants control and access to raw materials.

It’s easy to think of war as a convenient and profitable endeavor when one is far removed from the front lines. When one does not think about what(and more importantly, who) is involved in waging a war.

I’d argue that the mindset that views wars as a viable means of profit is the same on a grander scale, as that the average person employs to casually disregard his neighbor. There is the same magnification of what one deems important, and the mitigation of less pleasant or useful ramifications. The massive potential for profit weighs more than concerns for the safety of those involved. Just as people see others around them as whatever they find useful/despicable. To be avoided or sought out, harassed or praised, and such things too often have nothing to do with the character of the target.

In a case like this, money is valued more than the lives of enemies. One may make the point that defeating enemies is less about financial gains and more about self defense- but what of when the wars never cease? And what if there are better ways to stymie the conflict, to prevent the need for violence, offensively and defensively?

The best war is the sort that never occurs at all, but in the event that one must occur, then one of brevity with minimum casualties should make the most sense. The day that we let profit stand in front of peace is the day where we announce that life isn’t as precious as currency, especially some lives in particular, and from there, that differences are reason enough to kill and die for.

War is, in essence, the endgame. What happens when the pendulum of acceptance swings the other way, past tolerance, past intolerance, into refusal, denial, extermination. We don’t have to go there. We don’t need to go there. But we do.