thomas malloy wrote:
That depends on how you look at it. Until the return of the king, there will be war.
Apparently you believe that war is inevitable. Do you suppose it is inevitable that the people from Georgia will again go to war against the people in Pennsylvania, or that Germany, France and the England will go on massacring one another as they did for hundreds of years? I think these nightmares will not recur. War has been eliminated nearly everywhere in the world where it was once common, and I cannot imagine a single reason why it cannot and will not eventually be eliminated everywhere.
Many people believe that cruel exploitation is inevitable, and they used to think that slavery and high infant mortality was an inescapable part of life. I read a paper on automobile safety written in the 1950s that said, "seatbelts could save tens of thousands of lives per year but of course the American public would never accept them." It was considered out of the question. No one stopped to question this or wonder why. It turned out there was no reason, and most people are happy to wear seat belts.
I find such beliefs utterly repugnant, corrosive, and contrary to all that we know about history, progress, and the human spirit. Few outcomes seem more likely at this stage in history than that cold fusion will be rejected and forgotten, so I am probably wasting my life. I do this because I am convinced that people have free will, and that NOTHING we do, or say, or think is inevitable. Individuals are often incorrigible, but nations can always be helped. We can ALWAYS change our minds, turn back from the brink, change our way of living, learn, improve, and refrain from evil. If your religion teaches otherwise I suggest you toss it into the garbage. Atheism or the most bubble-headed superstitious cult would be healthier than believing we cannot transcend savagery. As John F. Kennedy put it:
"First examine our attitude towards peace itself. Too many of us think it is impossible. Too many think it is unreal. But that is a dangerous, defeatist belief. It leads to the conclusion that war is inevitable, that mankind is doomed, that we are gripped by forces we cannot control. We need not accept that view. Our problems are manmade; therefore, they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings. Man's reason and spirit have often solved the seemingly unsolvable, and we believe they can do it again. I am not referring to the absolute, infinite concept of universal peace and good will of which some fantasies and fanatics dream. . . .
Let us focus instead on a more practical, more attainable peace, based not on a sudden revolution in human nature but on a gradual evolution in human institutions -- on a series of concrete actions and effective agreements which are in the interest of all concerned. . . ."
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkamericanuniversityaddress.html - Jed
