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By any measure we humans are an incredible species. We build buildings tall enough to pierce the sky, find cures for diseases that once could wipe out entire populations. We left footprints on the moon, sent probes to investigate Mars. We can grasp a world of knowledge with the touch of a button on our phones and navigate the very depth of oceans. Why is it that a species that once lived in caves, but now explores the edge of the universe cannot find a way to bring about the end of warfare? We pray for peace, sign treaties, create global organizations to protect world peace. Yet we continue creating new, easier and more drastic ways to kill one another. I was born at the beginning of America's entry into World War II. At least 5 alleged "military operations” have involved our country in my lifetime so far. We are fortunate that none of these have been fought on American soil, but that can easily change in the not too distant future. We are now engaged in another war, one that defies logic. Recently, I began to wonder when and how warfare started among our species and, more importantly, whether or not we will ever see its end. Are we hard-wired in our DNA to engage in war? Does lasting peace among our species have a chance? When did the "us versus them" mentality get such a firm grasp on us?
Winston Churchill wrote: "The story of the human race is war." He was not far wrong. If we accept Webster's definition of war as "the collective effort involving conflict between two or more groups,” it seems we can trace the seeds of warfare back to prehistory, before civilization as we know it existed. Prehistoric humans were survivalists. They recognized survival depended on being part of a group. Food, safety, mates, hunting, even care were all more available to someone who belonged to a group, a tribe, a clan. They recognized who belonged to their clan and who did not. It was important to protect the survival of their own group, eliminate threats from anyone outside that group. Thus the seeds of warfare were planted so long ago. Archaeologists discovered the first traces of organized warfare (around 3500 BCE) in an ancient city in northern Syria. They found fire-blackened walls that had collapsed, several thousand baked clay sling bullets, human remains and a huge 10 feet thick city defense wall. There are several theories as to why the most intelligent species on the planet still engage in the systematic annihilation of one another. Margaret Mead, the famed American anthropologist, shed some light and hope on this issue. She wrote, "War is only an invention, not a biological necessity." She went on to name cultures that had never engaged in warfare. Their language did not have a word for "war."
Unfortunately, greed plays a role in war. Private defense contractors and reconstruction firms are among those who benefit from warfare. Lust for power also plays a major role. It seems unlikely that our species will ever annihilate war completely as long as there is competition for the earth's resources, assets and for power. Perhaps if we strengthened international law, created a global government, eliminated starvation, found a way to equalize and share all of our planet's riches and resources, encouraged a curiosity and respect for the richness and variety of cultures on our planet, we might finally bring a lasting peace to humanity. It seems like a daunting task, an impossible dream, yet we must try and keep on trying.