Rockridge High School
Taylor Ridge, Illinois
Teacher: Mrs. Downey
By Sara Curry
12th grade
War And Peace
The tragic events over the past couple of months have once again opened our eyes to the harsh reality of war. Is war the right solution to all of our problems? Does fighting ever really solve conflicts? Learning to respect each others' opinions and not being so cynical of each other will lead to a more peaceful way of living.
Mike Palecek, a columnist for The Weekender in Sioux City, shares the same view by stating, “People should not be killing people. There is no good war. There never was.” In killing each other, due to war, it seems like we lose so much more than we actually gain. Thousands of soldiers’ lives may be taken, but yet all we seem to care about is that justice is served to those who committed such insane acts.
Others, such as Billy Graham, disagree by arguing, “We must have military power to keep madmen from taking over the world.” Born on a dairy farm in Charlotte, North Carolina, Billy grew up during the depression. He understood the value of hard work on the family farm. After graduating from the Scripture at Florida Bible Institute, he joined an organization, Youth for Christ, founded for ministry to youth and servicemen. He preached throughout the United States during the post-war era and eventually emerged as a notorious preacher.
The question is, does military power stop the madmen? In some situations, it does seem to have some impact on these strongly opinionated individuals. Sometimes, in other situations, military power is not necessary. For instance, if there is a leader who does not share the same views as the United States, should we quickly send in an army troop to solve the conflict and enforce what we feel is the right solution? Or should we first try to negotiate and come up with a peaceful solution, such as written agreement between the two countries. These strong opinions and beliefs, which they hope to preach to all, is what drives these madmen to take over the world. They need to understand and realize that not everyone will feel the same way. Instead of killing these madmen , we need to make them understand that everyone differs, and that is just part of life.
If everyone could form the same opinion, would there ever be a need to have a war? But then again, if everyone formed the same opinions, what would make us individuals? It is the simple fact that at times we refuse to accept or understand each others’ opinions and reasoning to a certain belief, that over time leads to such violent acts. As someone once said, “The thing that makes life so cruel is that everyone has such good reasons.”
Mahatma Gandhi was born to Hindu parents in Western India. He is well known for standing up for his beliefs. In Southern Africa, he worked to improve the rights of the immigrant Indians. When Muslim and Hindu committed acts of violence, he fasted until the fighting stopped. The last two months of Gandhi’s life were spent trying to put an end to the appalling violence. This caused Mahatma to almost starve himself to death, which quickly caught the attention of the rioters, causing them to stop. “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time invincible but in the end, they always fall-Think of it, always.”
Gandhi’s philosophy about truth and love always defeating tyrants and murderers seems to be the closest thing to world peace. Although there may be times when it appears that the fighting will never end, eventually somebody will have no choice but to surrender. Staying truthful to our beliefs and loving others for their opinions as well, gives us no real reason to argue. Eventually, if we keep that thought in mind, we will defeat the tyrants and murderers, because they too will learn to be truthful and loving of each other. The problem is that it sounds so simple but yet, at the same time, seems very difficult to accomplish.
Throughout history we have come across some violent acts of war and, now, as we think back on it, we ask ourselves, was it really worth it? Did we really gain much? In most cases, several lives were lost and nobody can count that as a gain. We need to love each other for who we are and be respectful of their opinions at the same time. We need to “love thy neighbor”. When that happens, there will be no need for war; instead, there will be peace.
Bibliography
“A Brief History of Mohandas K. Gandhi.” On-line. Internet. 5 Jan 2002. Available http://www.engagedpage.com/gan1.html
“Billy Graham & Team.” On-line. Internet. 4 Jan 2002. Available http://www.billygraham.org/about/billygraham.asp