All these words have something in common. We all agree that disagreeing is very much acceptable and even sometimes unacceptable. However, it gives a scope for flourishing new or unique ideas even though revolting can be a constructive activity like the fight for independence. Have you ever fought with your parents or siblings, or friends? We did, and it is natural to have different viewpoints and conflicts of interest. What goes for the States? A massive conflict of interest or ideological differences between nations degrades into wars. Do people fight and lose their lives to protect a piece of land? If not, then why did world wars happen? What was the motive behind the rise of Hilter to power? In a conventional war between two militaries, a mother and father lose their son. A wife loses her husband in a war. A child loses their father in a war. A sister loses her brother in a war. A brother loses his brother in a war. However, in a war against the other country's citizens, we can't count the casualties; everyone loses their near ones. That leaves a colossal resentment, and anguish among the victims.
According to the United Nations, 3.6 million people left Ukraine. Many people have taken refugees in the neighboring countries like Poland (2,144,244 refugees), Romania (555,021), Moldova (371,104), Hungary (324,397), Russia (271,254), Slovakia (256,838), and Belarus (4,938). The world has witnessed so many wars in the name of religion and sovereignty. The world is plundered with the western hegemony in Responsibility to Protect in Iraq, Syria, and recently, Afghanistan. The world was on the verge of nuclear war in the Cold War times when both the US and USSR camps started the arms race. Both nations began building up nuclear ammunitions and weapons stockpiles to deter opponents.
On whose consent did both camps start the arms race? Does a civilian matter in a war? On whose consent a country declares a war? In the present world, most countries are democracies, and governments come to power through the people's consent. And while declaring a war, where do people go? Where does their opinion matter? Why is Russia invading Ukraine? The State has become so powerful that it is not just the sum of the individual citizens living in the country. The States have their priorities, securities, and challenges to protect their sovereignty and legitimacy. If the existence of the State is for the citizens, then why does the State's Budget heavily focuses on defense? Why not social infrastructures like education or health?
State, rights, war, lives what matters most for a person who lost their dear ones in a war? If humans are taken in a fierce sense, we are innately dangerous and live for selfish motives. However, this is not true. If we were not peace lovers, the world would not have survived this long. Nor we have witnessed the most incredible peace propagating leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Johan Galtung, Desmund Tutu, etc.
We fight with our friends if they move closely with some other people. We fight with our parents to allow us what we want to do. But what about those who are in a conflict area or war-prone country? What should they fight for? Against whom should they fight? When nations declare war, it affects every citizen or people living in those countries. Their basic facilities are shut down, and communication and transportation come to a halt. Just think about a soldier. Is there an opinion taken while declaring war by the State? No. Whom are they fighting for? For whom do they risk taking weapons and fighting against another army?
The plight of women in wars is even worse. Women were raped and were sex slaves in the ancient wars. What about today? It is the same. They are even raped today without regard to their age. They are separated from their families and separated from their children. They are trafficked as objects. Is there value to human dignity? Is this how human life is respected? The right to life, dignity, and liberty is what people aspire to in their lives. What about those who are just thrown into the war? If a soldier joins a war, he/she is not joining the war alone, and their whole family gets affected and shatters. Many soldiers die in wars, on the borders to protect the State or the citizens.
But what matters in a post-war scenario? Is it revenge or justice? How are women affected? How are children affected? And how nature is getting involved? In the era of nuclear warfare or cyber wars, is it essential to hold grudges against one another? Is this not the time to stop blaming one another or one country for getting into conflicts and start self-examining ourselves? And understanding our needs and stop fighting over petty things.
We get into fights with our spouses, and we ignore them and sometimes stop talking to them, and everything gets better with time. However, after getting done with one fight, ask yourself, can you forget it and never again bring the previous conflict into the present fight? Without having effective communication, reconciling the differences isn't possible. From a macro perspective, irrespective of which part of the world we live in, we witness some form of political conflicts like civil wars, ethnic conflicts, inter-state wars, or intra-state wars. How can it reconcile the differences between two ethnic groups who view the other as antagonistic? How to bring about peace in a communal riot situation? What should be the primary goal? Is it enough to stop the violence, or is it necessary? As a person, we should aim at positive peace. Positive peace is the transformation through a cross-cutting aspect for advancement, making structural peace easier.
Is it essential to go into a war when the world has witnessed a deadly virus for almost two and half years and continuing the havoc? A small fight takes away peace of mind from our lives. What about the lives of those people in war-prone areas? They face trauma, and fear in the post-war scenario. How can their fears be removed? How can they get justice when world leaders commit war crimes? For the outside world, everyone displays as they are peace lovers and want justice. However, if we take the instance of the India-Pakistan cricket match, the atmosphere goes very high. The people of one country used verbal and physical abuse on the other. It still happens, and an ordinary citizen even advises declaring war on another country. However, war only destroys the economy, society, and people's lives. War cannot be a solution!
In the same way, turning down the conflict in interpersonal relations is also not a solution. The best solution is to talk, express yourself, and hear the other side without judging them. Firstly, differentiate between your needs and greed. Ask yourself, what all you did for the other person were in the right faith or not? Reflect upon your thoughts and actions, and reconcile your difference. Before finding the loopholes of the other person's self-introspect, get inner peace first to have peace with the other people. Reflect upon your thoughts before giving a solution to war or physical fight. Know yourself better. What is that you want? What can you do to the other party? The same goes for the States. Every State has its national interest. It is not possible that every time the interest of one country clashes with the others, the world is still going because of humanity's notion, which should be the priority. War only brings destruction. It is necessary to protect the civilians and not go to war mentally like psychopaths.