World Peace: A Pipe Dream?

[ZeroVX]

If there's one thing I can absolutely guaran-damn-tee in this conversation, is that there is no one on the planet who does not want world peace. Everyone on this forum wants world peace. Everyone in every job on this side of the planet wants world peace. From the nicest person ever, to the most evil fuck of a human being, everyone wants world peace.

They just all have different ways of going about it.

Everyone has their own version of how world peace would work. But is their way the right way? Chances are, the answer is no. In order for world peace to truly, truly work, everyone has to agree with it. And chances are, no matter how good an idea may sound, someone will have a problem with it, for one reason or another. In order for any of these ideas to work, you would have to eliminate free will from humanity. And if you did that, then really, what would be the point of world peace? Peace without freedom isn't peace worth having.

So what's the solution? What's the real answer to ending wars and preventing countries from killing each other? Is there even an answer to have?

Your thoughts?

 

[FromTheSouth]

If there's one thing I can absolutely guaran-damn-tee in this conversation, is that there is no one on the planet who does not want world peace.

Bin Laden, Ahmedinjihad, every jihadist, Hugo Chavez, Vladamir Putin.....but I get where you're going with that.

Everyone on this forum wants world peace. Everyone in every job on this side of the planet wants world peace. From the nicest person ever, to the most evil fuck of a human being, everyone wants world peace.

OK, I get it.

They just all have different ways of going about it.

Like attacking innocent people and bombing buses and pizza parlors.

Everyone has their own version of how world peace would work. But is their way the right way? Chances are, the answer is no. In order for world peace to truly, truly work, everyone has to agree with it. And chances are, no matter how good an idea may sound, someone will have a problem with it, for one reason or another.

Actually, truer words have never been spoken. Well put. To go a step further, most people's version of world peace is in direct conflict with someone else's, which would perpetuate the violence both claim to be against. I think a slightly more realistic version of the dream would be to say that while everyone wants peace, everyone hopes for order. By that I mean that while no one wants war, it is inevitable, and minimizing conflict should be everyone's goal. Oh yeah, you're a hippie.

In order for any of these ideas to work, you would have to eliminate free will from humanity. And if you did that, then really, what would be the point of world peace? Peace without freedom isn't peace worth having.

With apologies to Benjamin Franklin, of course. The saying goes, and I paraphrase, one who is willing to sacrifice liberty to gain security deserves neither. I disagree. I feel that one must subjugate some liberty to live in an ordered society, and so does John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, David Hume, and just about any other social contract theorist.

So what's the solution? What's the real answer to ending wars and preventing countries from killing each other? Is there even an answer to have?

Your thoughts?

Won't ever happen. Resources are limited. Even if we create free energy through cold fusion tomorrow, people will still fight over God. If God himself came down and said we're all right about him, just stop fighting, people would fight over land. If all land were divided equally, people would fight over treasure. It's almost like a regression analysis. If we solve one problem, mankind will revert to old hostilities.

 

[LigerBomb]

The simple fact of the matter is that we don't have the evolved maturity to create or sustain even the barest of paths to world peace, and even if we did there are those who are bound to thrive and profit on creating unrest and conflict. Human nature at this stage of the game just isn't there yet. We are too greedy, fearful, and selfish. It's a shame but its true. FTS's concept of conflict removal is about the best we can do and we can't even get that right...

My "solution"? Got none. But for me, I'll try this: Enjoy life, try to better the lives of others when I can, eventually die and make room for those to come. Let those who come way way way later worry about world peace when/if it ever becomes feasible.

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There's no point in being a damn fool about it.”

-W.C. Fields

 

[Барбоса]

There is literally no chance of world peace. The major powers might be able to come to some agreement over shared resources but on a regional and local level there are far too many deep seated hatreds between too many peoples to make world peace an achievable goal. Tribes in Africa have been bred to believe that the only way to peace (or more accurately victory) is to wipe out an opposing tribe. The only way for Jihadists to fulfil their pledge is virtual genocide.

The stubborn Anglo-Saxon approach to world politics that produced the British Empire and has been inherited by the USA may have freed the world from the evil of the Axis Powers but it will lock us in perpetual conflict with Jihadists for a long, long time.

 

[antfarm612]

I disagree with the first sentence of your post. If everyone wanted world peace, there would be world peace. Obviously, there are a lot of people who don't, because if they did, they wouldn't start wars.

 

[Greyot]

As nice as it sounds, a couple of things to consider:

How exactly will it come about? It could take years, decades, even centuries before "everyone" could actually agree to something like this.

Another thing to consider is the differing personalities of cultures. Basically, there's almost no chance in Hell of everyone agreeing to World Peace just like that. There's always gonna be somebody thinking different. Actually, FTS brought up a good point. People have differing versions of what World Peace would actually be.

Hell, you could argue that the only way to achieve world peace would be to wipe everything off the face of the Earth, but that's kinda defeating the purpose isn't it?

Anyways, my opinion's just that is not likely achievable.

 

[Mufasa]

Virtually every wealthy nation became prosperous and powerful originally through violence . I'm not just talking about violent acts happening in various countries in general, but rather the fact that nations become prosperous and powerful specifically as a direct result of their military might. Wealthy nations are those that have been successful in conquest and in controlling access to resources and markets through armed force. There has previously been great incentive to wage war.

There is more to being a wealthy and powerful nation than just killing large numbers of people, but still violence seems to be a prerequisite to prosperity.

I think the only reason why we have as much peace as we do today is because our weapons are so destructive that any direct armed conflict between strong nations comes at a great cost. Major wars are no longer a good investment. When the cost benefit analysis favors peace there will likely (hopefully) be peace. I'm happy that we are currently living in a period of relative peace in that the leading world powers aren't currently waging full scale wars against each other.

 

[lghikas]

There are a couple problems with World Peace.

First off not everyone wants World Peace, just look at people now and throughout history like Hitler...Bin Laden...Stalin...Che Guevara I could go on and I think you get the picture. Also just look at some of the wars/conflicts that are going are in the world. Palestine and Israel have been fighting since God knows when and in Africa some tribes have been fighting for ages.

Another problem which I personally have a with is, most of the time if you look at books/movies or Commune type places, for the most part, some to alot of rights are given up for something that is supposedly "perfect" and a utopia. Books are generally work of fiction, same for movies but, I do think they provide some what of a realistic view of what could be utopias or dystopia, which is what they are generally found out to truly be. Reading or watching you'll find people are generally lied and played by the government into thinking the rest of the world is in peril and they shouldn't leave the country. Even in some the people don't even have Proper names but sometimes numbers. Also another thing is history is for the most part obsolete.

Anyway I'll just say this to sum everything up there are a few people that don't want it and if it is a reality, most of the time it is perfect or utopic(not sure thats even a word) but they are are usually the opposite and is a dystopia.

 

[LigerBomb]

There are a couple problems with World Peace.

First off not everyone wants World Peace, just look at people now and throughout history like Hitler...Bin Laden...Stalin...Che Guevara I could go on and I think you get the picture.

I think all those men would love "world peace", or a world without conflict, just their personal visions and definitions of it. Even "crazy" people have in their own minds a perfectly sane and logical reason for doing what they do, it just happens to only fit within their own highly personalized thought systems is all.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

In order to have World Peace, the world needs to be connected in a way it never has been before:

I am talking about..One Order.

I am sure I have just ruffled up someone by saying that, but think about it. If you want peace everyone must get along. To get along, you must have order. To have order, you need to not have a seperate government and politics, but a Global Treaty. To have a Treaty, we must stop fighting each other...for us to stop fighting each other we need a One World Government, so neighbors will not attack and we can all resolve our differences in a civilized manner.

Religion, albeit has good intentions, mostly produces the problem with this. I am sure most if not some of you are religious, and I will not insult your beliefs in any way, but it is a fact that Christianity is against a One World Government. I probably have conspiracy fanatics jumpin and disagreeing with me, and you have a right to disagree because this is still just an opinion and you are entitled to argue.

But religion kills, don't believe me think about the United States's War on Terrorism. Over there I am sure they call us the terrorists. After all, under Bush we invaded their land under Foreign Intelligence that was wrong. The people over there are mostly to be believed as Muslim, and they even say they kill for Allah.

Strong discussion I bring up I know, but in order to have peace you have to have order.