A World Without Wars

WHAT IF WARS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN FOUGHT?

          What a tranquil place the world would have been, save the unsolicited maladies of battles and wars. History books would have been thinner, being spared from the burden of being witnesses to the amassing destruction and the conglomerating bloodshed. Since time immemorial, people have been fighting each other; sometimes over possessions, sometimes over territories, sometimes over resources, and at other times over spilled milk. The legacy of wars is a never-ending saga. The very thought of what and how the world would have been today had the concept of wars not risen its malicious head, tickles the imagination. So let us delve momentarily into this unique rumination.

          The inception of wars came along with the dawn of civilization. The resplendent chronicle of the antique is demarcated by the existence of some mighty civilizations like the Greek civilization. History tells us that the great Greek civilization was destroyed through interminable conflicts and wars between Athens, Sparta, Troy, and others, although it was the Greek who gave us the idea of Olympics, art, and sculpture. In a similar fashion, the Roman Empire was obliterated through wars with the African and European countries although they gave us the Roman law and system of administration. The Indus Valley Civilisation, with a cornucopia of marvels, was wiped off through continuous wars between the Aryans and the local inhabitants, although they introduced the idea of commerce and business. Had it not been for wars, these civilizations would have continued to flourish and contributed a greater deal to advancement.

          The two world wars left an indelible mark on the history of mankind as well as on the fate of the world. Human beings were treated as disposable goods. Loss of numerous lives and unfathomable destruction was overlooked as collateral damage. Clandestine tactics like espionage, spy services, bio-weaponry surfaced. Germany, the global leader in scientific innovations was annihilated, the British naval power and the empire where the sun never sets was completely destroyed. The 2^nd World War gave birth to the weapons of mass destruction- the Atom Bomb. Thus commenced the nuclear race. An everlasting resource which had infinite possibilities was reduced to a mere instrument of terror. The money, the intellect and most importantly the time, invested in upgrading arsenals could have diverted to a better purpose which would have made the world a better place to live in today.

          Wars spew vicious poison into the living world. But even the deadliest of poison has some utility. “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Wars have always resulted in spurts in technological advancements. Regardless of its purpose, the inventions find later use for better causes. Wars have given us glorious heroes, like Napoleon, Alexander, Gilgamesh and King Arthur whose names are etched in golden letters in the pages of history. Wars are vital from the point of view of a change of leadership. It was because of battles that India has had so many chivalrous rulers like Akbar, the Great. The Battle of Kalinga instigated the sea-transformation in Ashoka which gave the world one of the greatest propounder of Buddhism.

                                                                      “There was never a good war or a bad peace.”

                                                                                                                                                 -Benjamin Franklin

Wars may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other’s children. It would be in our common interest if our collective actions are henceforth so directed that our future generation didn’t have to wonder, “What if wars would not have been fought?”