The Buckets by Greg Cravens for December 26, 2014

Define Peace: is it like no war or like no criminals stealing, raping, and assaulting their fellow human for things that they don’t have but want.

Peace is the opposite of freedom. So long as there is individual freedom, there will be no peace – there will always be those who would subjugate their fellow humans. I thus oppose peace.

Of course Toby.

Umm… Yes, Toby.

xxx

Here’s the ironic bit: If everyone thought just like you do, there’d be world peace, right? Of course, if everyone thought just like that other guy thinks, there’d be world peace, but that’d be just crazy…right?

So many philosophical questions raised by previous commenters .. I am reminded of a bumper sticker I have always enjoyed: “Visualize Whirled Peas” Anyone’s conception of “peace” might be achievable in the absence of greed. But greed is inherent in the human condition, so peace is impossible. Someone, or some group, will always want what they do not have. Thus, said person or group will always try to devise a means of acquiring what they do not have. This may, humans being humans, involve subterfuge and malfeasance. Thus world peace is, by anyone’s definition, impossible to achieve. Sad, but this is why armies and self-defense are a necessary evil. We hope and, to a degree trust, that our governments will not lead us astray in our quest for peace, but never so much that we are willing to surrender self-defense as an option. And we are right not to surrender that right. As a patriotic citizen of these United States, I like to believe that my government has, for the most part, upheld the highest standards of human behavior. But I know that this has, in truth, not always been the case. Witness our treatment of the natives upon the arrival of Europeans. I am sure Russians today largely believe that Mr. Putin is simply standing up for what is rightfully theirs. He has, through various means, persuaded them so. The rest of the world sees his gambits for what they are. I have learned that ANYONE can be conned by a sufficiently talented con man and/or a sufficiently sophisticated con. Thus, one man can lead an entire nation astray.As imperfect beings, perfection,if we define it as peace, is unachievable. As individuals we are morally obligated, in my view, to strive for the best we can achieve in terms of interpersonal relations. Writ large, this would theoretically translate into peaceful relations between nations and peoples. But we can no more secure peace with every other nation than I can achieve a lasting friendship with every other person. It is simply not possible. We must simply soldier on to the best of our ability.