Origins of War and Is War Necessary?

My English 101 theme for this semester has been war. As we as a class have traveled through the unit I have began to wonder when war started. It seems to me that it has always been around, not only in America but in countries all over the world. I decided to do more exploring of its origins. I wonder not only when it started but is there really no other way countries and states can solve their problems?

Historians do not know when the first war occurred because we have been fighting wars longer than we have been writing.  However, the first war  ever recorded was in 2700 B.C. I believe war has probably been around since the very beginning of time. I contribute this to the fact that humans had to be violent to survive. If humans were starving and food was scarce they may have chosen to massacre a village just to have food. I also think war has been around since the beginning because people want their way. I can just imagine a man wanting territory because he wants power. What does he do when he can’t have the land? Oh, just kill the people living there. No big deal he thinks… This brings me to a quote from Prussian military general Carl von Clausewitz, “War is thus an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will.”

Now that the world’s technology has grown more than we can imagine, wars are much more violent than they used to be. Is there not any other solution? Can we not just have the Olympics as a substitute for wars? On debate.org 55% of people say war is a necessary evil and 45% of people say war is not a necessary evil. What is interesting is that most people that say that war is necessary actually have a reason and the people that say war is not interesting have a reason but it is not logical. Some of the reasons people say war is necessary is for the nation’s advancement, it is the only way to bring peace and to unite, and it prepares humans to handle travesties better. The people that said war is not necessary said war costs to much money and time and that we should learn to solve our problems with love and compassion. Yes, that sounds wonderful but is this idea even feasible? 

This blog has shed some light on the subject of war for me. I would not say I am pro war but I am not sure peace could exist without war. War is upsetting and uncomfortable and honestly I am still exploring for sure what I believe. Here is a link to an interesting clip entitled War is Necessary.  Even though it is hard to see through all the deaths in war, war can bring good things. War sometimes boosts the economy but most importantly it can bring peace and solve problems.