Why does war exist? What do we believe we are doing when we go to war? Or support a war in any way? Behind this dynamic is a very simple concept, and often also an illusion. We can say that there are two ways for any human to live on this planet: free and self-determined or obedient and in the service of someone else. The just war is usually the one where a group of free humans defend themselves against an aggressive army of obedient people who are intrusive and want to subjugate the free under the dictate of a central power.
An argument derived from this concept is what we often hear in statements about the wars that the western democracies are fighting today: We want to free others from the subjugation that they have become a victim of, turn them into free and self-determined people, and thus fight a just war. This argument is used because the people in western democracies are usually not affected by aggression of external dictators, but shall destroy them in advance, to the benefit of those who were already subjected. The motivation for this is usually the fear of terrorism, which is presented as a threat that reaches out of the dictatorships into the so-called “free world”.
When we observe the situation closer, we can often see that on both sides of the war there is an unfree society. Unfree people are fighting unfree people. There is no just war behind this, but the interest of the rulers in power. And still, the soldiers and supporters of the war on both sides of the conflict might believe that they stand on the side of freedom. They live in an illusion of freedom, feel neither the strings that move them nor the chains that hold them in place. One horde controlled by rulers is fighting another horde controlled by rulers, and usually at least one horde believes to be fighting for freedom. Particularly affected by this are the people in the already mentioned western democracies.
Another option of a just war can be found in the belief to fight for the interests of a higher power or God. Here we are not fighting for freedom, but for a reward that we hope to get from God. Alternatively, we try to establish some form of justice and do not want anyone to benefit of actions that we were forbidden to do for religious reasons. Or we fight selflessly for the enforcement of a higher will. We are motivated by the believe to fight for the truth. Such wars we know from history, they have existed for a long time, and we still find them today. However, today only few people are able to have direct contact with a God or any other higher being. What has to be done is usually derived from old books and traditions. That can give some room for interpretation and personal creativity. As a result, it is generally problematic to be intrusive or even violent for religious reasons. Even well meant missionary zeal must not go beyond offerings and promotion, and it must accept rejection.
We find reports of war in almost all ages of human history. Even the holy books of many cultures tell us about wars. They seem an inevitable consequence of mankind’s release into freedom. On our long journey to take this freedom, we have turned war into an instrument of politics. Images of the enemy are propagated to strengthen the cohesion of selected groups. Wars are initiated to create occupation, employment and profit. The wars that are reported in the news are rarely a fight of good against evil. They are an expression of our loss of orientation. An expression of our aberration. A reflection of the conflicts that we carry within as human beings.
Wars cannot be forbidden. We have wars or not, depending on how many people can be convinced that it is a good idea. Only when each human can stand on their own feet, not entrusting their thoughts and feelings to the guidance of some ruler or government, can humanity leave wars behind. We can assume that wars will be around for many years to come. We must deal with it. The best we can do is to think independently, and trust in our own perception of the real world, giving it a higher priority compared to the information we get through radio, television and internet. Because it will bring us in a form that results in conflict. If you know Lord of the Rings: What we need to realize is that there is no region like the Shire on this planet right now. We all live in Mordor, even though there is not as much smoke anymore and we might have not noticed it yet.
Having said that, there is still a just war going on to this day. It is not about resources or land or military strength. It does not require weapons and it does not include any physical violence. It is a war that is fought in the minds of all humans. Who has control of our thoughts? Is it us, or is it some external power? If we fail to control what we think, if we simply absorb what is shown to us and circle our thoughts around it, then we become a piece in someone else’s game. Then we are not free. The war for our freedom is not fought on some battlefield in a country far away. On the contrary, the military wars in the world are an attempt to fill our mind with thoughts that distract us, scare us and make us unfree. The war for freedom has its battlefield inside our minds. We need to defend against those who try to control our thoughts, and we should help each other doing so. So that we can create a new place like the Shire at some point in the future. We have the possibility to do so only when living on this planet.