by Rosemary Redfern

Created on: March 02, 2011

We should begin fighting disease rather than fighting wars.  As a species, humans have the capacity to reflect. We can think about our society and what we expect from it, we can consider what we believe in and how we should behave. These are often powerfully held views supported by religious thought. 

Fighting is done for territorial dominance, wanting something someone else has or because we wish to interfere with the way another group behaves. 

Man is aggressive. It is a useful survival attribute. But if we are a species capable of understanding the cause and effect of our actions, perhaps we should spend more time pondering on why there are so many wars around the world.  Killing is not a natural or comfortable action. War means someone gets killed. Soldiers have to be trained to overcome the natural reluctance we have to kill.

If this is the case, it suggests that while raising the hackles, like a cat putting off an intruder, nothing more needs to be done. Unless we are physically attacked we lose nothing by walking away. 

All the money and energy that goes into beating another group of people could be far better spent trying to assist in solving the problems we cannot avoid. Two things are sure in life, birth and death. At various stages in our lives everyone becomes ill. Whether it is an infection like a cold, malaria, a malfunctioning of part of our body or just the fading away that comes with old age, we all need medical help.

We could stay in the primitive belief that illness is a manifestation of evil in us, that we deserve to be ill because we have done something wrong or because we are an inferior specimen. These beliefs are hard to swallow in the face of the care which most individuals take to work hard, lead a good life and look after their families.  

Modern science has tools to diagnose many ailments which were impossible to discover in the past let alone treat. Understanding the causes of disease and taking precautions to prevent unnecessary illness seems to be a far better way to use those resources we have. 

Wars create misery, deprivation, trauma and are cruel. Fighting disease may possible bring ease to those who suffer. It is at least a positive move to help humanity. It would demonstrate that we have been able to move beyond the primitive to a considerate way of life which would benefit most of us. 

Disease we cannot avoid, wars we do not have to indulge in. We should put our energies and intelligence towards finding causes and remedies for the things we cannot avoid. 

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