reply to post by Paldr001au
I have no problem with defence forces at all. Until Iraq, Australia had one of those.
Armies of agression, yes...absolutely I have a problem. I have a problem not just for the needless death and destruction of wars for ego, but for the
wastage of precious time.
Every wisdom to come from every war there ever was, has told us that we can do/must do better, that wars of conquest and aggression are wrong, that
the cost of war on our collective spirit as much as our lands lives and bank balances, is simply too high on every level of humanity for us to
continue to bear and remain remotely capeable of moving forward. Too, you can claim a right to kill others, dress it up in nice contexts's and use the
right justifcations, but that doesnt mean you have the right to kill..you dont. There is no such 'right' - a right being entirely different to a
necessity.
I qualifiy the next bit with ' to me it seems like'....as I cant read your mind and intent and I dont want to assume grossly....
To me, in what you've written above, you are basically saying its just fine to stand behind the biggest bully in protection from another bully. That
Australia isnt 'wise enough' or 'old enough' yet to stand on her own two feet - that we should give up our means/the mehcanisms we need to grow evolve
and mature as a nation to become kept chatell of the US, by remaining ' little brother' to what has fast become this past decade, a rogue state.
( A state that ignores International law, flouts UN resolutions and murders civillians is a Rogue State under the US's guidelines)
You also seem to be suggesting you can predict the future and read China's minds and intent and know every action and reaction that is going to
happen. Underestimating potential and condoning the use of those fears as an excuse for premptive action instead of thoughtful preplanning - the
latter an entirely diffrent thing..where no threat posture is required. You're also missing a glaring point, that if just two men ( US and China
leaders) got over their egos and bullsh*t and one man simply called the other and speaks plainly to him..no war need ever occur. Dont laugh....Kennedy
prooved its possible...and he was killed for that simple truth as much as any other reason.
Besides Kennedy, you also miss the fact that it took only one man *acting on his conscience* and willing to risk absolutely everything that saved the
world from a nuclear winter - Stanislav Petrov (a retired lieutenant colonel of the Soviet Air Defence Forces). One man..can you imagine where we
would be with many men of the same caibre of conscience and reason? I can.
Must we all, every individual on earth own a personal nuclear bomb before the use of war can end and we all feel safe enough to use our minds and
speak rationally to each other?
You also seem saying that agressive posturing and brinkmanship is the only way to a*avert* war when historically it has only ever created wars. Even
the cold war that might have 'seemed' so..didnt..it caused a destriction too, and led to ongoing wars all over the region and more pursuit of mass
destruction weapons unthinkable a century ago.
In this, you suggest war is the only mechanism we have as human beings to create peace..when it isnt. You basically infer that men and women have no
choice, and no choice but to kill each other..that we arent evolved or endowed with reason or minds capeable enough of constructive thought,
rationally sorting through problems and creating innovative solutions without slaughter.
I have to wonder where all these messages of our mental and moral uselessnes and powerelessness to effect the principle of Right Action over bloodlust
came from?
To me, this kind of thinking is the problem...because despite some appearances, we really are endowed with good minds and we do have this capacity.
Maybe people have forgotton this or been led to forget, I dont know..what I do know is that many millions of lives here and now let alone the unborn
to come, do depend on us 'getting that'...our planet depends on this generation growing up and stepping up the challenge of actually being human not
an animal.
I genuinely wasnt comparing 'whose is the worst suffering' by writing about Tibet and our indigenous populations struggle. I used the analogy more to
underline the point that we really cant be so hypocritical as to think we are white as snow here - that people in glass houses shouldnt throw stones.
While we allow ourselves to be led to dehumanising and demonizing China..we are the ones that become dehumanised in that we forget that _we_ are juts
as human as they..all of us, just humans, just odd individuals, with our wants and needs and fears and familes - we ignore the flipside of the fear
story, that they are at core just like us...as human as we are.
Other humans are easier to kill if you dont think of them as humans....this is why dehumanisation exists as a tactic of war. I dont want war..I
*really* dont want war...so I choose my actions regardless of my thinking and dont use those tactics anymore or let myself buy into them out of fear.
If and when I do fear, then I address and resolve my fears myself like an adult should, and not expect others to suffer and die for me so I can feel
better.
In any case, just look at the context...as horrible as it is now over there, it has been worse. The war over Tibet is an ancient one. 500 years ago it
was the Royal Tibetans imprisoning and murdering their own people and the native Chinese, skinning them and using their hides as temple banners.
People dont want to hear that though..such is the skill of new age propoganda. Ive no doubt they will continue this fight to the last warrior or the
last day of time...the 50 year war only emphasises the point to me violence begets more violence..and is a never ending downward spiral...both nations
stand on the brink of extinction and neither is happy, secure or at peace owing to their wars.
For me...its a case of "If nothing changes..nothing changes"..well..thats not true strictly. It does change but not for the better. Eventualy, humans
will have to start being human again..and maybe recognise that war is the EASY way out...a softer option to aquiring the courage needed to face the
reality of what it takes to gain and maintain peace.
Ro
edit on 7-4-2012 by Rosha because: typo