Chapter 3 war, peace, pacifism

one This topic may seem scary, but in fact, I just want to talk about some related random thoughts. Man is a strange animal.Among other animals, mass extinctions of cannibalism rarely occur.Recently, the British "Times", according to the latest discoveries of scientists, proved that the two close relatives of modern Homo sapiens became extinct after contact with modern Homo sapiens.Many scientists have long presumed that their extinction is likely to be a "good thing" done by modern Homo sapiens, which means fighting and killing.Although this is only a presumption, at least it proves that scientists have no confidence in the nature of the ancestors based on their own experience.

World War II was the last world war so far.At that time, fundamental changes had taken place in the upgrading of weapons, but the concept of war was still the traditional concept: to defeat a country, it is necessary to completely defeat the fighting will and willpower of the people of the country.Therefore, both sides in the war adopted large-scale bombing of the city, which was tragic. At that time, it was almost inevitable that the Nazis would win, and everyone had a consensus that the consequences would be unimaginable if the Nazis won.Thus winning the war was the center of attention, and the price paid was tacitly recognized.Time has passed, those who have won have won, and the crisis has been forgotten.The price paid by the people, the inhumane aspect of the war, has been recalled and reflected on for a long time, and the pain is unforgettable.Not only the party that launched the war was condemned, but also the party that waged the anti-fascist war was also condemned.The most typical example is the controversy over the U.S. dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the Pacific War launched by Japan.

Such introspection will undoubtedly bring about a positive effect, that is, peace education for the new generation.This is especially important for some traditionally "martial" countries, which has greatly reduced the support of people in these countries for unwarranted aggression against others. Several generations of young people after the war are the backbone of the anti-war.Today, as long as there is any war, huge anti-war demonstrations will break out all over the world, and young people will always be the main force.However, gradually, we also saw that anti-war indiscriminately has become a simplified way of thinking in intellectual circles that does not have to bear any responsibility and morality always occupies a high position.

Why is anti-war not always a good choice?Because the world is not so clean that non-violence can solve everything.During and after the Cold War, large-scale ethnic cleansing occurred in some countries.When these incidents happened, it was the political power of a country that presided over the massacre.In principle, that is their country's internal affairs.These incidents resulted in the massacre of millions of civilians in peacetime, as well as an unstoppable flow of refugees.Diplomatic protests, sanctions, etc., are not effective, and the massacres that are seen to flow like blood happen every day.

At this time, for politicians and influential intellectuals, there is only their own imaginary pure land, and there is no moral high status that actually exists. Armed intervention by the international community is war.War not only causes casualties of combatants, but also of civilians.Under today's new concept of war, using high-precision weapons as much as possible to reduce civilian casualties has become an important consideration in war.However, to push it to the extreme, it is just an illusion to demand a war completely free from civilian casualties.Therefore, many people believe that standing on the opposite side, opposing all military intervention, opposing all wars, and always holding high the banner of peace is a good strategy to ensure that they are invincible in morality and conscience.In fact, in the previous example, disapproving of armed intervention means sitting by and watching the massacre. In fact, the bloodshed of civilians is much more than that of armed intervention.

This is why UN Secretary-General Kofi Kofi Kofi Kofi regretted not having earlier intervened violently in response to the massacre in Rwanda. two Pacifism is a wonderful name.Therefore, there are many people who introduce themselves to a pacifist stance today. But what exactly is pacifism?I would get this answer: pacifism is the opposition to all violence and war.Not bad at all.However, the vast majority of people who claim to be pacifists do not know that maintaining a pacifist position is more difficult than they imagine. Pacifism is a belief that opposes all violence.It sounds easy.However, when it comes to concrete implementation, it becomes complicated.To give a simple example, suppose a gangster broke into your house with a knife and wanted to kill your wife and children.And you, with weapons at your fingertips, can easily resist violently and save your loved ones.However, you are a pacifist against all violence.Therefore, you cannot use force. You would rather watch your family members die at the hands of gangsters than maintain your belief in non-violence.Such behavior is the practice of pacifism.

So, being a pacifist is not easy.It often starts from a certain religious belief. Only by adhering to religious belief can we maintain a pacifist position. It doesn't matter how easy it is to maintain such a position, because it is rare for a gangster to break into a house and test one's position on the spot.But is pacifism, even if it is genuine, necessarily a morally noble position?This is not an easy question either. In the United States and some European countries, after screening and confirmation, true pacifists are exempted from military service.They are seen as a religion and respected by society.However, in the war against aggression, pacifists are not doing their duty as citizens.Although you can say that I would rather the enemy come in and kill me, I also insist on the concept of peace.In fact, it was your compatriots who died on the battlefield, resisting bullets for you, and in exchange for your peaceful life. "Morality" also leads to confusion.

So some people said, well, I am a relative pacifist, I am against the fascist war of aggression, but I am not against the just anti-fascist war.At this point you will find that you are indistinguishable from a non-pacifist, that you are not against "all" violence and war.In fact, there are only "yes" or "not" pacifists, there is no "relative" pacifist.You can't say that if a gangster kills someone else's house, I advocate pacifism;Your attitude towards war is actually the same as that of ordinary people: you are judging whether to "approve" or "oppose" based on the specific circumstances of the individual case.

Instead of thinking that in today's world, "peace" is the only acceptable "ism", while "violence" and "war" are absolutely undesirable means. When you study the so-called "relative pacifism", you will also find that, in fact, people have natural weaknesses.That is, when the danger is far away from oneself, the attitude tends to be "detached and calm" and more "peaceful", but when the danger is approaching, the attitude will change.Therefore, a country facing great danger will instinctively react differently from other countries.This leads to a problem that both sides should be vigilant about: Those who are in danger should avoid overreaction; those who enjoy peace should be prepared for danger in times of peace.

Leaving one's own moral phantom, the world can escape from the left-wing, false pacifist adolescence and enter the rational thinking of adults.When a war is about to happen or has already happened, everyone can rationally analyze and judge how they should look at it and what position they should take based on the facts they have.This process is the normal thinking process, and the position taken at this time is a solid piece of land. So, is pacifism still a good name?Yes.It is the belief of very few people.The emergence of such beliefs points to a possible peaceful future for most of us.