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https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-are-wars-and-violence-inevitable-or-is-there-another-way-to-live-239102>
"Most of us want to live in peace and safety. Yet violence is in epic
proportions, particularly towards women and children. The Israel-Palestine
conflict is now escalating into Lebanon. This week, Israeli troops entered
southern Lebanon. Iran has launched more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel
in retaliation for its actions, and Israel is now vowing to retaliate against
Iran.
These latest escalations in the deep-rooted conflict emerged after the bloody
Hamas attacks on Israel a year ago, on October 7, and subsequent war in Gaza.
Hamas cited decades of Israeli expansionism and oppression as motivation for
the attacks. However, like Israel’s attacks, the Hamas attacks involved the
targeting of civilians and probable war crimes. More than a thousand Israelis
were killed, and some 240 Israeli and foreign nationals were abducted.
In Gaza, more than 16,000 Palestinian children have been killed, including
2,100 under the age of two. One Palestinian man living in Gaza lost his wife
and four of their children. All he could find of his baby daughter, Safa, was
her hand.
There are currently wars in Ukraine, Sudan, Yemen and Myanmar. In the United
States, there have been two recent attempts to assassinate former president
Donald Trump, and just last week yet another mass shooting. In Sydney, there
was another knife murder. In France, there is the ongoing trial of 50 men who
allegedly raped Gisèle Pelicot, facilitated by her husband, who admits to
raping her too. The list goes on.
Every day, a new atrocity blares from the radio or across huge screens in gyms,
railway stations and homes, causing widespread fear, feelings of powerlessness,
and despair.
Is this violence just human nature, and inevitable? Should we rely on
governments and the United Nations to provide solutions? Or are the causes –
and solutions – closer to home: in our cultures, thoughts, words, behaviours
and everyday life?
Politicians repeatedly urge us to “change the culture” of violence. But what
exactly does this mean? How can it be achieved? And don’t governments send
mixed messages when they spend far more on nuclear submarines, weapons and
fighter planes than on violence prevention?"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
