COLLISION OF CULTURES
By Alex Ness
July 26, 2026
Humanity has come into a sort of maturity, somehow, it has never learned to temper its violent edge. People will say well I am personally not violent, but they live in a system that measures out resources as a consequence of violence. A system that entertains with violence, however much the equipment used in the sport is modernized. Male children, particularly, play as if using guns, swords, and killing one another. And, importance on a world stage is financially determined in large part, by the nation's investment in weapons of mass destruction. War is a legitimate tool of diplomacy, as it is held in reserve as a means of achieving an end.
While people can promise to others to be non-violent, they cannot end up stateless and somehow advocate for themselves. They will need to be attached to a state to have rights, and every state maintains the monopoly upon violence. No matter the outlook, few states ever exist without a means to defend one's self. Examples of states without an armed force are few, more so, those they desire to be seen as without a military are often depending upon their neighbors for defense. I am not suggesting they should or shouldn't do that. It just isn't what they profess to be what it is that they follow.
It is rare the number of wars we've fought that clearly had no other way to solve the diplomatic issue. But they do exist. As a result of some authentic events that required the use of force, some people assume, every situation expect of unjust wars, violence is a legitimate tool of diplomacy. Know Hitler and various others have plagued the world, I understand the fear they have wrought. But not every dictator or military leader is evil, or even pretend to be so. And still, violence as a tool is not removed from the list of options.
The power of the military in our world appeals to the weak minded. It appeals to those who need and want order. A powerful military gives shows what people value, in that the GDP of countries who spend on the tools of war, often create economic cultures based upon improving the ability to kill. The Military Industrial Complex when analyzed suggests that weapons cause war, so we need weapons to fight against war. And that, in my mind, is a load of crap.
While I am at it, think about the Cold War for a moment, weapons of mass destruction faced off, where simple use would end up destroying the humans and their dwellings on the entire planet. The Cold War also featured humans spending tons of money on alternative means of killing many, and those countries too poor to advance were left with very little assistance and the people were used in proxy wars to fight when those far away watched the results.
MODERN WAR
MEDIEVAL WAR
ANCIENT WAR
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