On War

I was reading one of favourite authors, Frederich Nietzsche and his thoughts on war and the state. I have to paraphrase this as I don't have the book with me right now. He goes on to say that war makes victor stupid, and the vanquished malicious. Man emerges from it stronger for good and for evil.

Very often, we avoid war/conflict at all cost but sometimes, we can be made better from it. We avoid conflict/ war simply because we tend towards peace and the fact that it brings us a level that is business as usual. We do not wish to deal with aftermath of a war that it brings.

War/ conflict brings out the best and the worst in everyone. War smoothes out the rough edges that was present before conflict happens. It has the ability to bring to fore the polarizing sides of an argument in plain sight and finally settle once and for all, who has the upper hand.

But as another Nietzsche quote goes:" He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster." This is a cautionary tale where when one is fighting someone or something, he/she while in process of fighting the enemy becomes exactly the enemy. Vengeful, malicious and evil. I noticed that a lot in politics.

It is my belief that we should not punch a person out till he/she has no ability to get up. But I have began to notice that the vultures surrounding Donald Trump, he is receiving no help except the closest allies and he almost appears to be the victim now. During the Democratic National Convention, every known speaker took his turn to knocked him out. Delivering blow after blow at him as a candidate.

But conflict/ war must be considered and should not be put off at all cost. This means that peace is not necessarily the be-all and end-all of all politics. If we do not consider war/conflict as an option, we are only postponing the need to have one as one's enemies might pressed against you. To not consider war/conflict is an absolute mistake.

If we stand firm against our principles, the aftermath of a conflict/ war is often an reinvention of oneself. As my first quote suggest, we emerge from a war/conflict very often stronger in good or evil, and it is my hope that we choose good.