War and Violence

The early civilisations were formed based on different geographical locations. Each civilisation had something unique to offer. Some were rich in natural resources, while the others had made technological and scientific advancement. There existed trade and economic interdependence. There were always certain people who could affect the decision-making process of the society as a whole. Sometimes, their wants exceeded their needs and they desired to be richer and gain more power. Since they could not take more from their own land, they would look elsewhere. This greed inspired battles, wars and invasions. This was the world we knew till about 19th Century. But Industrial Revolution, British Colonisation, World Wars and The Cold War have re-shaped our society and changed the way things are done. The standard of living has improved, technology and education are reaching all parts of the world and humans are moving towards a socio-economic harmony era.
The above is what we are made to believe and forced to accept. The reality is much worse. We are living in a world where in one part, a sea of men in black and white uniforms carrying laptops and PDAs are walking fast towards their nine-to-five jobs, worried about their health insurance. On the other hand, barely clothed men are mining for oil, gold or diamonds with only four hours of sleep, worried about surviving the night and seeing tomorrow through. How did we get so wrong as a society? When did the misery of one man and progress of another start becoming a routine? When will this injustice stop? These are some of the questions which need to be answered. Unfortunately, their answers are with a handful of individuals who have a greater motive in life than the enhancement and safety of mankind.
The only difference between now and then societies is that, we are becoming aware of the hidden intentions of men in power and how they manipulate people into believing that invasion and destruction of one community or society will benefit theirs. With mass media and communication, the world is shrinking. Politicians, administrators, company executives and traders are being exposed daily for fraud, corruption and ill-methods. Their hunger for money and power leads to many innocent people losing their lives and many homes destroyed. Although some are prosecuted and punished, most are either still in control or their position is being taken by others.
War and violence which exist in present society, have taken such a shape that whenever they occur, the number of causalities and economic toll keeps rising. Every year we hear of conflicts, blasts and terrorist threats. But when we hear of these things, we blame a certain society or community. People have stopped going to the root of the problems and trying to find the real culprits. The real men guilty here are those who profit every time the governments spend a huge part of their budget on defence weapons; and those who expand their business when one country attacks or invades the other.
The last thing these men behind the curtain want is a conscious, informed and educated public; capable of critical thinking and making decisions. They feed us lies of religion, race, creed, colour and class; so we are always living in paranoia and blindly accept what is being told to us.
Every human life has value and potential. Men are not evil by nature. Circumstances or greed, push a man to a limit, where he starts blaming others for his condition and desires to acquire everything. We are trying to live in a system where the greed of one man causes poverty, unemployment, inequality and pollution. The frustration, hunger and jealousy of other man cause him to blindly be involved in crime and inhumane activities. To show his vent, he attacks innocent people instead of the real men behind his condition. This existence of difference leads to conflicts, wars and terrorism.
The only solution for this problem is for countries to spend less money on weapons and arms, and focus on health, education and safety of people in developing and under-developed countries. Although the statement may sound cliché, what is surprising is the fact that such has not happened till now. Implementation and change are more important than words, which can and are being broken every time by our ‘leaders’.