Is War Ever Right

It would seem that wars have always existed side by side with human civilization. They are horrible events full of bloodshed. Some wars’ purpose is to conquer other countries, some to obtain the natural resources of others, some to spread religion, and some to defend themselves. Whatever the reasons are, the destructions and casualties are significant. Therefore I highly urge for all future war plans to be reconsidered and substituted with more peaceful solutions. Wars are not necessary. There are always a lot of solutions to a problem. It should be avoided as best as we could. Starting a war would be the worst choice anyone could choose. First of all, war costs a lot of money. Instead of spending money to kill and destroy, wouldn’t it be better to spend them on constructive things such as for the benefits and welfare of the citizens. We would also have more funds to help other countries, and build friendly relationships with them, thus eliminating the needs of war.

War also bring heartaches and griefs. It tears families and friends apart. The aftermath of the Korean War is a living proof of this. Some family members were forever separated after Korea separated into South Korea and North Korea. War endangers a country’s future. Soldiers who came back from wars are often times disturbed and needs a lot of counselling to be able to live normally. They could be disillusioned by what they saw in war that they become unstable and cause further damage in their community.

With so many downsides of wars, a more peaceful alternative to solve conflict is preferable. In the course of history, some examples of successful peaceful actions are boycotting or practising civil disobedience, which had been carried out by Rosa Parks and Mahatma Gandhi.

During the British colonization of India, India citizens were treated unfairly and unequally. Mahatma Gandhi, who was a lawyer at that time, was deeply disturbed and wanted to abolish these inequalities. Gandhi adopted peaceful methods to reach his goals. He frequently made speeches about the inequalities and encourage Indians to fight against them. However, he advocated for a non-violent rebellion. His first method was to encourage the British during hard times, such as when Britain was at war. He hoped that the British would consider the Indians their allies, and change their racist views of Indians. Unfortunately though, this method did not work, and the British continued to treat Indians unfairly.

Then, Gandhi persuaded the Indians to do peaceful civil disobedience and boycott British products. This angered the British and they opened fire at them as a punishment. This resulted with some of the Indians rioting. Despite it all, Gandhi still continued to persuade the Indians not to resort to violence. Had it not been for Gandhi, the Indians would have returned fire themselves. Gandhi continued to hold non-violent demonstrations, boycotting, and negotiation with the British government until India was finally granted Independent in 1947.

Another example is Rosa Parks. She experienced inequality as a black woman and wanted to put an end to it. She inspired a lot of coloured people to rebel when they were treated unfairly, such as not submitting to the rule that they must sit in an assigned area in the bus. Her actions, prompted a lot of the Black communities to refuse to submit to prejudice by simple acts of not using the bus and do carpool instead or refusing to sit in the assigned area. At the end of the boycott, the Supreme Court of Montgomery decreed for the segregation bus law to be abolished.

Those two examples showed that we could do peaceful demonstrations and raise awareness of the problems that we’re facing. Violence or war are definitely avoidable. To resolve conflicts, the main goal is always to raise awareness and then negotiate for solutions. Nowadays, the ever growing social media is a superb method for raising awareness. It’s also a great medium to discuss the problems. Considering the great losses of wars, it would be more beneficial for all parties to find more harmonious solutions.