Human Violence

“War is a way of life”

Is something that has always made sense to me.

Even when I was young

and only knew what the conflicts were called.

I looked at the world around me

and understood that humans constantly hate.

It can be a hatred for people in their personal spaces

like hate against family, friends

or a general hate against organizations of people

such as against a race or religious group

Or even a hate for ourselves.

No matter what it is

we always have a conflict

within ourselves

and against the world around us.

such is the case in war,

where young citizens risk their lives

having either hate within their hearts

or at a state of confusion

confusion with an idea

the idea that they will become a hero

that they are fulfilling the ultimate duty

despite there being certain death.

However, death does not end there.

It carries on at a domestic level

in the form of gangs.

Gangs filled with adolescent men

adolescent men like my brother

adolescent men like my friends

adolescent men like the people in my community.

Within the gang environment

yet again

young people lose their lives

for something they are not sure exists--

whether they pursued riches

or a sense of belonging.

Looking at the world

through a perspective of only seeing

what humanity does to itself

makes me cringe at the mention

of there ever being world peace.

The concept is too broad

too open ended.

How is one supposed to end hate

not only here or there

but everywhere

in all of the hearts of every human being

all 7 billion of them?

I understand that we do need to care for each other;

there is a moral obligation

to be a helping hand to humanity

however, how can one preach peace

without feeling it within themselves?

I know that it’s only human

to feel anger, jealousy,  frustration.

But that is not the feeling I intend to overcome.

Instead I feel that as humans

we have become convoluted in understanding ourselves

that we forget the old grand picture of our existence.

A philosophy I have

that conflicts with others

is the killing of pests.

You know the cockroach at the floor of your shower

the spider by your kitchen table  

the ants in your backyard.

We tend to think of these things as

undesirables

only small creatures in our way.

Definitely there is no consequence in simply squashing the insect.

However, we are still committing the act

the act of extinguishing another life

another existence.

I myself am not a believer or any religion

therefore I don’t believe in an afterlife.

But what I do believe is that trying to coexist with other living things

brings oneself a sense of self peace

To kill a life only because it is a pest

only seems to destroy our own morality.

The spiders living in the corner of the walls in my room--

who sometimes wander into my clothes--

are a testament to this idea.

It gives me inner peace to not kill them.

This is why I cannot grasp

the idea of world peace

I am much more concerned

about finding peace within myself.