A riot of protests on wars

War is a theme which Language Arts lessons will be exploring this term. War is also something that is getting more and more common these days, perhaps not in its actual meaning as an invasion of a country but in the sense of a battle between two armies, or at the very least, between two groups of people. Riots and protests in Thailand was all over the papers last year, but this year, the severity seems to have gone up with the protests all across Middle East and Egypt. Wars have of course also occurred in the past, from petty fights to liberate oneself, such as the American Civil War, to massive invasions and counter-invasions involving many countries, such as World War 2.

The causes of war are plentiful. As I mentioned just now, some wars are fought in order to gain freedom, especially the current protests. When sitting down to talk and come to a compromise does not work, people see no other way than to start a war in order to solve their problems, or at the very least, protests. Another cause of war is for personal, in terms of the country, gain. For example, Country X may decide to invade Country Y in order to gain access to its vast supplies of oil. One last main reason for starting a war is from a utilitarian viewpoint, that is, "I start this war as it will benefit the greater good. If I do not start this war, more people will die and crimes will go unpunished." An example of this is how the Allied Forces went to war with the Axis Powers after Germany's mass killing of Jews.

War has many detrimental effects, with the most obvious effect being death. War, being a battle between two armies, will of course result in people from both sides dying. In a moral viewpoint, the taking of a life is of course, saddening. However, in a more pragmatic viewpoint, the decrease in population will ultimately hinder economic progress, as well as other basic functions of a country. War also has another negative impact, that being that it results in bitterness between the two parties, resulting in a grudge. About two months ago, after the Japan Tsunami, Several Chinese netizens commented that the Japanese deserved it. In their opinion, the Japanese government not telling its citizens about the war crimes it has committed is reason enough for the amount of devastation caused by the Tsunami. War, resulted in a grudge between the Chinese and Japanese, to an extent where the Chinese are unwilling to help the Japanese in a time of crisis.

However, not all the things that come out of a war is bad. Just like in times of crisis, even though there may be many negative effects, it also occasionally displays the best in humans. War, other than just about death, is also a time where courage is displayed, where sacrifice of the soldiers is shown. Even if one does not feel any patriotism or courage when fighting a war, when people look back, the people are glorified. War is also a battle between morality and practicality, whether the commander should use underhand methods in order to end the war as quickly as possible or whether he should instead fight fairly and honourably, and when he makes the right choice, it definitely displays what humanity is.

Thus, the first thing that comes to one's mind when "war" is mentioned should not be all about how bad it is, and how a certain party is at fault. Instead, one should consider both points of view before coming to a decision, to avoid being biased and unreasonable to a certain party.