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Why Do We Fight?

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posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 07:41 AM
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Throughout recorded history there is evidence of domestic disputes, battles and wars taking place between humans. Even at times of relatively well-distributed resources, prosperity and security (in regions, not worldwide), we have found reasons to fight and divide ourselves from each other. But why?

The simple answer is that since there is a limited amount of resources and space available on Earth, it is natural for those in competition with each other in any given area to fight for these necessities.

The more complex answer is that humans are programmed (perhaps both genetically and socially) to fight each other for a myriad of reasons ranging from strong emotions such as fear, to political/ideological differences, to difference in religious beliefs, to obtaining justice for past misdeeds.

Now, I am fully aware that we are not the only beings to fight, but one would think that the more complex and intelligent the being, the less prone to violence/aggression they would need to be. Then again, maybe it is this complexity and diversity that increases the potential for conflict?

I don't know the answers, but I am sure some of the brilliant minds on ATS can bring forth some interesting explanations.

Why do we fight, ATS?




posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 07:59 AM
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reply to post by Dark Ghost
 


Throughout most of our time on earth as a species, we have needed to be violent in order for the species to continue..

The genetic imprinting for violence is not something that can be just discarded now because we decide we are too advanced to be violent.

We are, like most other species on earth, an inherently violent creature.. We can deny it, but both genetics and our actions prove otherwise

Semper



posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 08:03 AM
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reply to post by Dark Ghost
 


All creatures fight.

Why should humans be any different?

ETA; see above.
edit on 18-9-2013 by beezzer because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 08:05 AM
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reply to post by beezzer
 


Humans fight for greed, animals don't.

Animals stop at "need", Humans go until they satisfied their "want".



posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 08:17 AM
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reply to post by semperfortis
 


I agree with you point on this.

In a world where real violence is not the norm for a great majority of the population, we have sought out alternatives to satiating our desire for competition and dare I say "violence".

This can extend, though not limited to, violent games, physical sport, film and conflict.

I personally find the gym to be a great way to blow off some pent up stress from the daily grind. Others have different means.



posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 08:21 AM
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luciddream
reply to post by beezzer
 


Humans fight for greed, animals don't.

Animals stop at "need", Humans go until they satisfied their "want".


"Want" is simply a justification for "need".



posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 08:23 AM
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reply to post by Dark Ghost
 


You can thank our nonhuman primate ancestors for instilling a penchant for violent behavior in us. Fighting is a means to procure more resources, assert dominance, and even determine reproductive success.

If only we used copulation as a method to assuage interpersonal tension like our peace-loving hippie cousins, the bonobos...




edit on 9/18/2013 by Nacirema because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 08:26 AM
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Most of the time fighting occurred because of a desire to control others. Most of the wars were fought for riches, not necessities.

If you look at small disputes it is different, fighting over food occurred. That fighting had a legitimate reason for survival. It is the synergetic effect that caused people to form communities and when they did they desired to protect their wealth.

I knew people who liked to fight, they went to bars and targeted others high in testosterone to fight with. This is a hormone driven practice, beer is clarified with bromelain and bromelain builds testosterone. This competitiveness is an animal instinct but this is not the reason for most wars. Desire for power and wealth is what drives wars. Desire to expand those of their kind is another reason.

Sometimes people cannot not fight. The pheromones and brain waves off of those with different gene expression of genetic ancestors cannot always get along easy. I think this goes back to blending of neanderthals and cromagnum with humans. Also the black race. Something strong within our genetics makes us not trust those of another blend completely. It makes it hard to evolve to a point where we could all get along. Most just have a feeling of uneasiness when around those of another blend, it is when packing occurs that we start to fight. In this case, we can be taught to get along and understand that we are all in this together. It is our bodies that are different, our souls are similar but sometimes our souls serve a different master. That is not race specific, we have rational and irrational people in every race. Ying and Yang

This is just an opinion based on what I have learned. It may be flawed and does not include all variables. Everyone is different, everyone has different reasons for doing what they do. Most people try to justify their actions even if they are bad. Desire to Reinforce ones beliefs and actions seems to have been going on in all of recorded history.



posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 08:35 AM
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Humans are nothing more than greedy little snarling animals.

Humans are nothing more than greedy little snarling animals.



posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 09:24 AM
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Humans are funny critters.

We are an animal inhabited by a spirit.

The animal is essentially a programmable computer.

The programming comes into the animal via the senses.

Programming is referred to as "learning" but it is more properly called "conditioning".

We are born, innocent, into a world of (artificial) scarcity and told (and we believe it) that we have to scrap and fight for our survival.

Evolution. Competition for mates, for food, for shelter.

And so we compete. For everything. For space on the freeway. For promotions. For attention. For everything.

And that competition turns into aggression because the programming tells us bad things about ourselves (and therefore about others).

We are "sinners" we are "dumb animals" and "hairless apes" and we believe them and so we don't feel any kinship with our fellow critters, whom we label as "others" and of whom we are suspicious (artificial scarcity again).

And we are told that we are separate form "nature" and not a part of it and so we despoil and burn our home and we think nothing of it. It is simply the way things are.

Bottom line - we believe. We believe others who are more than happy to profit from our ignorance and compliance.

We fight because we are young spirits and because we have been interfered with (it gets esoteric here, and so I'll leave that out).

It is the job of our indwelling spirits to manage the rough animal that makes up the human body/mind, and it is a tough job indeed.


edit on 18-9-2013 by MarsSentinel because: (no reason given)

edit on 18-9-2013 by MarsSentinel because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 09:30 AM
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MyHappyDogShiner
Humans are nothing more than greedy little snarling animals.

Humans are nothing more than greedy little snarling animals.


See? This person believes something about themself, and about....YOU.

That belief has an effect. It informs decisions, actions.

If this person is what he/she believes, then what's the problem with acting like that?

What's the problem with killing another snarling little animal?

It is the same dynamic as this (which you will all be familiar with):

The president of the US sends soldiers to a country to give them some freedom/democracy.

The soldiers do what soldiers do, which is to make a huge mess, kill people, blow stuff up, and generally make the place into a hellhole.

The people get mad as hell, and rightly so, and they act against the invaders.

The invaders/liberators, respond with force, exacerbating the original problem, and causing the people to re-respond and the cycle of violence (see Everything That's Ever Happened in and around Israel) continues.

See?

It's the same. You expect people to be animals and so you treat them like animals. Then, when they respond (predicatably, if you are smart enough to predict) like animals, you use that as justification for your original presumption, and you escalate the process.

It aint rocket science.
edit on 18-9-2013 by MarsSentinel because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 09:31 AM
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This is a fascinating question and topic. I didn't realize HOW fascinating until getting into some of the courses I'm taking now. Anthropology, for instance, has been focused on Primates the last few days. What does that have to do with this?

Well.. How many people know the tribes of Chimps/Apes in Africa are well documented to Patrol their territorial boundaries in well coordinated, disciplined (Silent) and vicious (when finding something) military patrols? Actual literal wars have been fought over multiple years between tribes of monkeys. Literal...hunt the other side down to the last living member...warfare.

That was an eye opener to me that not only do our closest relatives on Earth demonstrate the same inherent tendancies we do, but they do it in such an open and organized way, it's impossible to second guess what is seen as being anyting else. (The do kill intruders with brutal efficiency ..and as often as not, eat them afterward.)

Why do we fight? I'd sugget it's a simple answer. We fight because we're wired that way right in the grey matter that makes the "mind", and some are better at resisting that programming than others.



posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 09:40 AM
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reply to post by MarsSentinel
 

I could have wasted several paragraphs explaining that one sentence.
I have been in the military, the conditioning never really worked, I could never be convinced killing was justifiable considering everyone has to die anyway, eventually.
So in the end, war is just a way of keeping the money flowing and the game going, even when there is no war it feeds the machine...
It's really nothing more than a sick joke, everything...Frustration / Aggression Conditioning.



posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 09:57 AM
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reply to post by Dark Ghost
 


The answer is lack of faith.

Consciousness creates concepts - it's what it does. When there is a lack of faith in a concept, you have a conflict.

We have been over thinking reality this whole time, yet we have always understood it, because it defines itself. It's complex as hell, yet it is that simple.

What sets man apart from animal besides the soul? Animals have little faith. Their behavior is a direct result of faithlessness in whatever they're observing. It's why they get scared and mean or scared and run. Fight or flight. (But cats are pretty faithful - they domesticated themselves because of it)

It's the same when people argue - they lack belief in one another's concepts so they want to control the other person in order to control the concepts within their own mine.

e.g. If I do not think someone is/will making a good concept, I will want to control someone so my idea of a good concept will be produced.

Side note: Something extremely cool is that when you really like another concept, you will want to consume it. Thus, the orifice was born. Cool huh?
edit on 9/18/2013 by Bleeeeep because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 11:07 AM
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We fight to unite.

we unite to fight.


That which separates us brings us together and vice versa.


We fight to survive we fight to die.


life is fight as much as it is a game or a story.


Fighting is a concept with a few others that defines us as humans.


Why do you fight? have you united with others to fight for a cause?

We fight time, fighting is such interesting concept, that is why I believe it one of the more influential concepts that define us among others.


edit on 18-9-2013 by InhaleExhale because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 11:14 AM
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I could keep rambling on about fighting because I fight constantly upstairs in my head with myself.

the internal struggle of morality is one hell of fight when there is so much diversity surrounding us.


to fight can be good if there is reason and the reason is just, but like I said with diversity there will always be clashes and reason and logic become perceptual where one might see reason and logic and the opposing ideology wont.


We fight to exist I suppose.
edit on 18-9-2013 by InhaleExhale because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 11:25 AM
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reply to post by InhaleExhale
 


You made me think of something. We fight to fight.

That's pretty weird. Animals do it too (the young ones.)

Our lack of faith, which makes us desire to produce good in other concepts, is so strong that fighting to produce good has became a good concept in and of itself.



posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 11:33 AM
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Bleeeeep
reply to post by InhaleExhale
 


You made me think of something. We fight to fight.

That's pretty weird. Animals do it too (the young ones.)

Our lack of faith, which makes us desire to produce good in other concepts, is so strong that fighting to produce good has became a good concept in and of itself.


I have a belief that the bottom line purpose of our being is simply to experience existing.

When I posted that "We fight to exist" it took me to the second level/line purpose is to fight.

Now I am not talking violence but the concept of fighting, when we are challenged with difficulties we fight to overcome.

Extremely deep water to swim when one seeks understanding of a concept that creates so much horror.



posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 12:02 PM
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reply to post by InhaleExhale
 


Horror or harm is more of a byproduct. The goal is just to produce your version of good concept. e.g. In the mind of the fighters, they want their version of good.

What I was pointing out is that we, and animals alike, also play-fight. So the act of fighting just to fight can also be for fun or sport.

Willfully creating bad is rare. Those who do bad are most often just trying to create their version of good, which just happens to be someone else's version of bad.



posted on Sep, 18 2013 @ 01:04 PM
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reply to post by Bleeeeep
 





So the act of fighting just to fight can also be for fun or sport.


completely agree,

however the act of fighting might be what the OP intended to discuss so sorry if I am steering of coarse but I am posting my posts with the concept of fighting in mind and not the act of fighting as in a violent confrontation.

But basically we are saying the same thing only in our own words





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