War Is Death's Dance Macabre

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 11 October 2023 “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who're hungry and are not fed, those who're suffering from cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It's spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.” ― Dwight D. Eisenhower The ongoing war between Israel and Palestine once again proves that humans still have a sadistic interest in mass destruction. That we're still engaged in killing each other with sophisticated and much more potent weapons is a sign of mere scientific evolution or advancement from our constantly embattled tribal past. That we've further devolved ethically doesn't seem to bother us collectively. War anywhere in the world is the death of conscience for the rest of the world. One man's death should unnerve the whole world. But this is not happening. In fact, this has seldom happened in human history. The history of human civilization is the saga of innumerable destructive wars and bloody battles. All the incidents of the change of heart following the mass killings happened only at an individual level, not collectively. Whether it was Arjun's change of heart on the last day of the Battle of Kurukshetra or Emperor Ashok's repentance following the Battle of Kalinga, they were individually disillusioned. Unless humanity, as a big family, feels the prick of conscience in a synchronized and empathetic manner, humans will continue to indulge in death's dance macabre. We've still not realized that a war destroys all. There's no victor or vanquished in a war. Victory in a war is a mere quotidian perception as we've a fixed idea of a winner and loser. In any war, even a victor realizes in the end that it was a Pyrrhic Victory. In other words, it was achieved at a very high price and loss of precious lives and stock. If you look at the factors responsible for battles and wars for thousands of years, you'll be surprised that the root causes have been so similar and ridiculously insignificant: Religion (always the numero uno factor), territorial supremacy, clash of ego, desire to expand, among others. Our constant involvement in battles and wars for all these silly reasons is an indicator of humankind's abject failure to live peacefully without a violent streak. Ernest Hemingway aptly said, " The moment I begin to think that now the humans have learnt to live peacefully, a war proves me wrong." ------ A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/war-death-dance-macabre/d/130873 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism