Nov 02, 2007 01:37
You know what?
History is fucked.
Absolutely fucked.
Ever since I've been working in IR, and since I've got this free Netflix trial and have been ordering war-movies by the masses, I've just become more and more depressed about humanity.
It's a shame really, there will always and forever exist both good people, and "evil" people- whether it be intentionally, inherently, or not. No matter how hard everyone else works for peace, someone will always show up to unravel all of the work put into achieving it. Always.
Seriously, consider history. There have always been villains, and yes- sometimes they are stopped, and everyone takes a step back and says "Wow, that was fucked up. I cannot believe we allowed that to happen. How could that have happened?" And then somehow, somewhere, the same dark characters keep re-appearing. In different time periods, in different countries, over different conflicts. They will always return. The Romans. Napoleon. Hitler. Franco. Castro. Bush. All of the bullshit that is going on in Burma right now (and yes, I absolutely refuse to address it as whatever the fuck god-awful name the junta fancies calling their absolutely disgusting enterprise.)
I'd like to blame power, which- quiet honestly, IS a bulk of the problem. Human beings simple cannot hold power without going corrupt. Has there ever been anyone in power who hasn't done wrong? Ever?
You see, the people who work so hard to achieve peace- no, they are never in power. They aren't even interested in having it- because someone who is truly at peace with themselve and the world has no need for power. The very state of being & existing is just fine enough. Human beings just cannot have power without becoming evil. Power is a disgusting thing. It's really a shame that it exists.
There are so many GOOD people out there, too. Pouring their heart and soul and all of their time and efforts into trying to find peace- or at least to get a bit closer to it. The U.N., for example. Can you imagine? With all of those people, all over the world, working nonstop... and still? Forget it. I'm not saying that we shouldn't do anything... it's great that everyone who is on the side of Good (as opposed to Evil) is doing what they are doing. I can't even imagine how dire and hopeless the world's situation would be if it weren't for those who tried. But it's just very depressing to know that there will never, ever, ever be world peace. It's just completely impossible. It really is.
Today I attended a conference on the Nuclear Arms Race. Here's a perfect example. It's terrifying how many countries possess nuclear arms. And, if you knew the quantity... you would never be able to sleep at night. It's a horrifying thing that they even exist. Did you know that during the Cuban missile crisis, Cuba had over 130 nuclear weapons on land, and another 60 or so floating around in submarines near the coast? Did you know that? Do you have any idea what 190 nuclear weapons could do? It could destroy the entire world. THE ENTIRE WORLD. And that's just one country's supply. And a small one, at that.
Again, think. The entire world. Destroyed. And for what?
But you know what? We'll never be able to eliminate all of the nuclear weapons out there. There are people whose lives are dedicated to figuring out a strategy for everyone to safely get rid of them, without putting their security in danger. Just try and think for a second about how hard it would actually be. USA- okay, give up your nuclear weapons, you really don't need them. What? Us? Fuck, no! If we get rid of them, then we're just begging to be attacked. And you can imagine the same response from every other country who is prompted to consider getting rid of their nuclear arms.
I really do hope that they can figure out a way to do this one day, but I'm doubtful.
Again, I'm not saying that we shouldn't try. I'm very glad that people are still trying, and will always try. That's really important. I just wish that evil wasn't an inherent quality of mankind. I wish that these villains would stop coming back, time and time again throughout history.
Mais, qu'est-ce qu'on peut faire?