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Making sense of War

By October 7, 2022May 2nd, 2024No Comments

The war in Ukraine continues. It is anyone’s guess when it will end and how it will end. It will end though. I imagine many people will then have many questions…..why did it happen and what did it achieve…..for anyone?

War is not always avoidable. Wherever there is self-interest, there will be ‘friction’. We can live with small amounts of self-interest that have relatively small impact on our lives. However, when someone’s self-interest is threatening or harmful at a larger scale, that is more likely to provoke aggression. Of course, both sides in a conflict claim it is the other that is pushing their self-interest.

The only good that can come out of war is that if somehow the overall ‘health’ of the world is protected as a result….like the war waged by the white blood cells against harmful bacteria in the body. Such war is sometimes necessary. That’s why we have white blood cells and that’s why we have armies.

Right now it’s difficult to see how the world could come out ‘healthy’ no matter who wins. I can only hope that everyone involved who is currently protecting their self-interest will see that there is a bigger interest to protect for the sake of all of us.

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