About a decade ago, I asked myself seriously why it was that if every major religion preached peace, and if almost every major nation professed adherence to one major religious faith or another, the world has lived in an almost constant state of war since the dawn of organized society. Over the course of my search for answers to this conundrum, I have come to certain conclusions about war and peace that, with year’s end upon us, I’d like to share with you. 1. War is easier to promote than peace. Governments, and indeed the mainstream religions, have a long and horrible history of supporting war over peace. Still today, the world is cursed with not only political wars but also with “holy wars”, which in both cases respond to ulterior motives based on power and greed rather than on their declared “patriotic” or “religious” causes. War is basically the path of least resistance. It is much easier to stir up destructive feelings of hatred for “the other”, and to sound the clarion
Versión en español:
Author Roberto Vivo comments on wars past and present, on the world’s great peacemakers and on the pathway to global peace. His basic philosophy: In a world where 9 out of every 10 victims of armed conflict are civilians, war is no longer a viable political alternative. Indeed, it is the ultimate crime against humanity. If rising generations are to have a future, the key will lie in world peace. War is the pathway to oblivion.