Pic source – Pixabay (Noname_13)
I’ve been traveling a lot lately, which left me with little time to write. But as I sit here at the airport, a simple — perhaps even naïve — thought crossed my mind, and I felt compelled to put it into words. Watching people from so many different countries and backgrounds, all smiling, quietly waiting for their flights, moving towards their gates without a trace of hatred or hostility toward one another, made me pause and think.
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For as long as we have existed, we have fought. At first, wars were waged for food, land, riches, and slaves. Then came religion — often used as a justification to conquer others in the name of divine will. Today, our conflicts have shifted again: we fight for resources, for power, for influence. This raises an uncomfortable question — are we, as a species, simply destined to fight forever?
The Resource Question
As our population grows and the planet’s resources dwindle, competition intensifies. Oil, water, rare earth minerals — each has the potential to spark wars. Some argue that once resources are completely depleted, conflict will cease because there will be nothing left to fight over. But history suggests otherwise: when scarcity hits, desperation grows, and violence often follows. The real challenge may not be running out of resources, but figuring out how to share what we have left without descending into chaos.
Religion as a Tool of Power
Religion has been both a unifying and divisive force throughout history. If the majority of the world stopped believing in organized religion tomorrow, would wars cease? Not necessarily. Religion has often been the justification for war, not always the root cause. People might still find other reasons — ideology, ethnicity, political control — to draw battle lines. The underlying issue is not faith itself but the human tendency to divide the world into “us” and “them.”
The Paradox of Colonization and Immigration
Another layer of conflict lies in the tension between the historical colonizer and the modern immigrant. Western powers once colonized much of the world, exploiting land and labor with little remorse. Today, when people from formerly colonized nations migrate westward — seeking jobs, education, or safety — they are often met with hostility. The narrative shifts: “They are taking our jobs, our culture.” What some call “the East attacking the West” is often nothing more than the consequences of centuries-old power dynamics coming full circle.
Can War Ever End?
The idea of a world without borders, where people can move freely and coexist peacefully, feels utopian — perhaps even naïve. Yet, history has also shown that humanity is capable of progress. Slavery, once considered a normal institution, is now almost universally condemned. Democracies, international courts, and peace treaties exist precisely because humans try to reduce conflict, even if imperfectly.
Perhaps the real question is not whether all wars can end, but whether we can reduce their frequency and scale. Whether we can learn to settle disputes without bloodshed. Whether we can recognize that survival and prosperity are no longer zero-sum games.
A World Without War — Fantasy or Future?
It may be centuries before war becomes a relic of the past — if it ever does. But asking these questions is not naïve. Imagining a world where war, racism, and xenophobia are remembered only as dark chapters in history is the first step toward building it. Every treaty, every international collaboration, every grassroots peace movement is a small step in that direction.
The challenge is not whether peace is possible — it is whether we are willing to do the hard work to make it real.
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