War as Threat to Value of Life - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... There was a time when war had been the order of the day, and warriors used to be looked with great reverence and admiration. Somehow, the two Great Wars of 20th century have realized the people the fatal aftereffects of the bloodshed and aggression, where hundreds of thousands of people died and turned wounded and disabled, along with the reversal of financial and scientific achievements man had invented and devised after the hard efforts of many decades. Hence, wars brought ruination to progress, prosperity, unity and moral values, and crush all ethics and quality of human life under their chariot wheels. It is fact beyond suspicion that the history of war is as old as the history of human arrival on the very face of the earth. “Distinguished philosopher Immanuel Kant emphatically argues that the state of peace among the people living side by side and remaining in constant interaction with one another cannot be remained peaceful, as it is in the nature of man to contain differences with other fellow-beings. It is therefore it is war rather than peace which could be stated as the natural one.” (Porter, 2003: 310) One of the most imperative reasons behind the aggression and antagonism against others includes the innate avaricious nature of humans, which urges them to take the life of the rival out of the feelings of envy, jealousy, anger and fear. It is therefore the individuals and nations attack their opponents in order to deprive them of the privileges they have obtained. The Old Testament also narrates the tale of the Abel’s murder at the hands of his real brother Cain, who was killed because of God’s favor upon him in the form of the acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice. (Genesis 4: 1-17) Thus, the flow of first human blood on the earth paved the way towards the series of killings, assassinations, bloodshed and wars for the future generations to come. However, it was an individual enmity that resulted into fratricide; as the humans are still busy in killing their brethren for the last several centuries, yet their lust of dominating over other individuals has witnessed no satiety at all. History demonstrates the very reality that the wars are commenced, inflicted and fought in the sacred name of religion, justice, peace, solidarity, freedom and human rights, where war mongers destroy human societies, cultures and civilizations just to acquire pelf, power, prestige and possession. It is therefore the warfare inflicted upon humanity during ancient Greek, Hellenistic, Roman and Medieval eras just meant to subjugate the weak neighbors in order to snatch their wealth and resources by killing their men, enslaving their women and annexing their territories to their own countries. The European scramble for Asia and Africa during 17th century onward also reflected the brutality and butchery exercised by the big powers upon the weak and defenseless humans just to declare themselves as the world power. The recent war ...Download file to see next pagesRead More