Teacher: Barb Downey
War and Peace
By Jared Downey
12th grade
Throughout history, men of religion, politics, science, or other backgrounds have had a common problem to deal with. The problem is man’s inability to live in peace with the world around him. All over the world, conflicts between men fester into bloody violence. Wars are fought for religion, power, and wealth. Because bigotry and greed seep down through the generations, wars rage for centuries. Although the fire dies down, its embers smolder, and it just takes the right person to kick up the embers and fuel the inferno with money and innocent lives.
War affects not just the people directly involved, but people all over the world. Wars create refugees, prisoners of war, combat fatalities, mental trauma, civilian casualties, the breakup of families, and the destruction of property and dreams. War can cause economic changes in places seemingly unaffected by a war fought thousands of miles away. The destructiveness of war has grown to be so great that no one can afford to ignore foreign conflicts. Therefore, it is only reasonable that influential people such as Albert Einstein, Billy Graham, and Adolf Hitler have expressed their opinions on the subject.
Einstein once said, “ I don’t know what kind of weapons will be used in the third world war, assuming that there will be a third world war. But I can tell you what the fourth world war will be fought with- stone clubs.” Einstein was the most brilliant man to ever enter the field of physics. It is not uncommon for physics writers to refer to him as “The Master.” Being a Jew in Germany during Hitler’s struggle for power helped Einstein to understand man’s evil nature. It was his research that led scientists to the amazing potential of the atom.
Einstein’s words express his knowledge that in an age of ever-progressing weapons of mass destruction, a world war would involve a great deal of these weapons and bomb mankind back to a stoneage-like time. He envisions a holocaust that sets mankind’s progress back centuries. Nowadays, it is crucial that conflicts are kept to a minimum to insure the safety of our future.
A quote from an unknown author states that, “To preserve peace, we need weapons of smaller and men of larger caliber.” People need to expel their hatred, greed, and petty differences and become individuals of greater character. The primitive obsession with amassing large amounts of weapons is especially dangerous today when nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons can create unimaginable chaos. With every weapon mankind creates, the probability that he will use it greatly increases.
A quotation of Billy Graham reads: “We must have military power to keep madmen from taking over the world.” He believes that America must have a strong military to stop others (Communists) from taking advantage of the free world. His words are still meaningful today. Even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, America must be on guard to protect the world and the peace in a way that we see fit.
Graham’s words have bearing because he is a respected preacher: “The Pope of Protestant America.” He is deeply rooted in basic Christian beliefs of what is right but also has political influence. He acts to influence government with his beliefs and assure his followers' trust in what the government is doing.
“The one means that wins the easiest victory over reason: terror and force.” Adolf Hitler practiced this as leader of the Nazis in World War II. Growing up during the hard times of the depression in Germany, Adolf was a disenchanted young man who took regular beatings from his father. Adolf succumbed to the dark side of man. He used the controlling powers of terror and force to rise to power in Germany and then most of Europe. The irony is that he renounced reason in his battle and based it entirely on power, greed, and hatred. By saying that he could defeat reason, he admitted to his own insanity.
The idea that terror and force can win over reason is best illustrated in the history surrounding Adolf Hitler and World War II. Hitler’s quest for control of Europe used military force, violence, and propaganda to terrorize and defeat his opponents. Terror is used by radical groups today to attempt to influence others. Such was the case in recent terrorist attacks. Terror, unlike reason, never finds a balance with the world. Therefore, terror is rejected and order resumes.
Conflict in society is inevitable; however, an informed world which has learned from its past can stop violence from escalating into something uncontrollable. No one can stick his head in the sand. No one can afford not to care. Peace in this world is the responsibility of everyone.
Bibliography
“Adolf Hitler” On-line. Internet.5 Jan. 2002 Available WWW:
http://library.thinkquest.org/17120/data/bios/hitler/
“Albert Einstein.” On-line. Internet.5 Jan. 2002 Available WWW:
http://www.history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/history/Mathematicians/Einstein.html
“Billy Graham” On-line. Internet.5 Jan. 2002 Available WWW:
http://www.time.com/time/time100/heroes/profile/graham03.html