Essay on Clearly Pacifist, Clearly Credible

Ever since the days of Mesopotamia from the agricultural revolution, war has been a constant and important part of human life. Over time though, humans have evolved and gotten stronger and smarter which lead to more competition. War from its beginning, has consistently stemmed from the innate sense of evolutionary survival and subsequent competition, thus securing it’s inevitable perpetuation.

Due to Chagnon’s unparalleled body of work in terms of quantity and, as many argue, quality, Marvin Harris draws heavily on his research to support his point, which is that the origin of war is ecological and reproductive pressure. One should question Harris’s theories (and all theories), especially in the light of the aforementioned article, but I do not believe his arguments are, or should be, adversely affected by the information presented in this

In “Warfare: An Invention,” Mead talks about the invention of war, and how it is completely unnecessary. She uses examples of different civilizations such as the Eskimos, the Pygmies, and the Pueblo Indians to show us the differences between cultures who do/do not condone warfare. Mead also uses other models to justify her claim, such as the concepts of marriage and fire. “And yet even such universals as marriage and the use of fire are inventions like the rest, very basic ones, inventions which were perhaps necessary if human history was to take the turn it has taken, but nevertheless inventions”(275-276). Just like marriage and fire, warfare was invented by aggressive/ competitive humans. For some cultures it has been embedded in our history

War is an inescapable pattern in history. The world is constantly in a state of war. In America, we see a war amongst ourselves with racism, discrimination, and hate crime. These wars seem meaningless, and reveal that humans have an ingrained yearning for violence. While reading the novels Beowulf, told from the perspective of a hero, and Grendel, told from the perspective of the monster, the innately violent nature of humans becomes apparent.

To imitate Mead, I will use some of the same rhetorical devices that she uses. One that is essential to imitating Mead's style is comparison and contrast. Examples supporting my stated ideas are also much needed. These techniques are important because the structure of Mead's essay heavily relies on them to express her ideas. Additional techniques I will use include repetition and metaphor.

In The Moon is Down, Steinbeck continues his argumentation laid down in Sea of Cortez that wars are a biological trait of humanity, “war is a phenomenon striking deep, unconscious roots in our species” (Lisca 188). Lisca further claims that Steinbeck’s theory of war is “exemplified in The Moon is Down by the invaders, none of whom is clear about the nature of the struggle in which he is participating”

Kurt Vonnegut is able to put a man’s face on war in his short story, “All the King’s Horse ”, and he exemplifies that in a time of war, the most forgotten effect on nations is the amount of innocent lives lost in meaningless battle due to unjust rulers fighting each other against a nation’s will. As Americans, we are oblivious to the fact that we have people fighting every day for our country. In addition, we ignore the fact that we do a lot of collateral damage and hurt innocent people unintentionally in order to get what we want. Vonnegut shows the reader in Pi Ying’s own sadistic way of demonstrating how he feels about war brings attention to the point that war, while unruly and cruel, is nothing

Joseph Campbell, a well know mythologist states in “the Power of Myth” that “a hero is someone who has given his or her life to something greater than oneself” (Campbell 151). Campbell also indicates that there are two types of hero deeds. One type is a physical deed, “in which the hero performs a courageous act in battle or saves a life” (Campbell 151). The second is a spiritual deed, “in which the hero learns to experience the supernatural range of human spiritual life and then comes back with a message” (Campbell 152). In his story “The way of the peaceful Warrior”, Dan Millman tells us about his experience with a white bearded man known as Socrates who takes him on many adventures and gives him knowledge on life. Although

Sometimes the longest and toughest journeys are inside one’s mind; and although others cannot notice them instantly, they change personalities profoundly. Dan, the main character, is a gymnast-student for Berkley University, California. His life seems perfect, he has everything he wants: friends, girls, good grades, his talent and passion for gymnastics and the strive to go to the Olympics. Until he meets Socrates. Socrates is a gas station attendant who leaves a mark in Dan’s memory right from the beginning. When they start to get to know each other, Dan understands that he’s nothing but a fool, and that he needs Socrates’s guidance to wake up and reach a deeper state of knowledge, a state of enlightenment.

War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, written by the talented author Chris Hedges, gives us provoking thoughts that are somewhat painful to read but at the same time are quite personal confessions. Chris Hedges, a talented journalist to say the least, brings nearly 15 years of being a foreign correspondent to this book and subjectively concludes how all of his world experiences tie together. Throughout his book, he unifies themes present in all wars he experienced first hand. The most important themes I was able to draw from this book were, war skews reality, dominates culture, seduces society with its heroic attributes, distorts memory, and supports a cause, and allures us by a

Wars are often glorified in tone to give praise and respect for those on the battlefields. There is an overall understanding that there are sacrifices needed in order to accomplish a larger goal. Excluded from this understanding is the realization that the effects of war

For my book project I read the book Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman. Set in Berkeley California, Dan Millman a college student struggles to find the part of himself that has always been missing. One night while out walking from his dorm, Dan comes across a gas station and a strange man that is soon to turn his life upside down. This man, known as Socrates, shows Dan a side of existence that only few people had ever seen. To become a warrior like Socrates and have the mind to not allow the regular struggles of life to control a single part of you. Socrates takes Dan in and tries to create a warrior from a young star athlete with the ignorance of every other human on this earth. Through his

Most pacifists are committed to finding new and imaginative methods of conflict resolution. “The Quakers”, for example, are a Christian group who are famous for their pacifist stance. This is not a doctrinal tradition and there is no rule to say that Quakers must not fight under any circumstances, they have chosen to follow this path, as they have done for over 300 years. Quakers believe there is something of God in all people. They believe that more can be accomplished by appealing to this capacity for love and goodness than can be hoped for by threatening punishment or retaliation. Instead of harming and killing, they us “spiritual weapons” – love, truth, imagination and laughter – weapons that heal, not destroy.

War is a seen by those who are against it as the most devastating and dreaded type of human interaction ADDIN EN.CITE Hedges2003517Hedges (2003)5175176Hedges, C.War is a force that gives us meaning2003Gütersloh, GermanyRandom House9781400034635http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=k-KlOS_4b-8C HYPERLINK l "_ENREF_4" o "Hedges, 2003 #517" Hedges (2003). In the society, we leave in, discussions about war are held and preparations for warfare are a normal day-to-day occurrence. Proponents of war argue that nations get a meaning from war and not just carnage and destruction in it way. ADDIN EN.CITE Hedges2003517Hedges (2003)5175176Hedges, C.War is a force that gives us meaning2003Gütersloh, GermanyRandom House9781400034635http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=k-KlOS_4b-8C HYPERLINK l "_ENREF_4" o "Hedges, 2003 #517" Hedges (2003) argues that war gives life a meaning and purpose there by giving people a reason to leave. According to Hedges, with war an excitement hangs in the air. War provides a cause and a resolve to a country as it allows its citizens to be noble ADDIN EN.CITE Hedges2003517(Hedges, 2003)5175176Hedges, C.War is a force that gives us meaning2003Gütersloh, GermanyRandom House9781400034635http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=k-KlOS_4b-8C( HYPERLINK l "_ENREF_4" o "Hedges, 2003 #517" Hedges, 2003).

People have been going to war and attacking each other for years. War is a messy thing, and no one likes to go to war, even the people who advocate for going to war do not enjoy it they just see value in it. Regardless, people have been going to war for a variety of reasons for all of history. A brief look at recent US history would show us that we have gone to war in the case of protecting people internationally such as World War One, retaliation such as in world war two, and even stopping the spread of ideas as in the Vietnam war. People go to war because they get something out of it. This view is crucial in understanding that there should be a desired outcome to war. Even so cold “just wars” not only limit violence by stopping oppressors, but they also perpetuate violence by requiring any country that enters into armed conflict to be inherently violent.