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At once the idea of world peace is both the ultimate goal of many and an idea scorned by more people than most would acknowledge.

Throughout the vast majority of human history there has been, without fail, a war occurring somewhere. Man is not a cooperative animal, at least not in a universal sense. People can and do cooperate with one another on a daily basis, but only to the extent that it benefits them in some way, shape or form. If there is nothing to be gained by working with someone, there is often something to be gained by working against them, and most people instinctually know this and act on it.

The problem with the idea of world peace is that humanity lives in a world of scarce resources, and enough of the world's landmass is claimed and developed so that cooperation, is at times, illogical. Resource management is a zero-sum game at a certain level, one person's loss is another's gain, and the stakes are high enough, especially in poor countries, that a loss of resources cannot be allowed if a person wishes to survive. Until we reach a much higher state of technological and administrative sophistication, this will continue to be true.

The one factor that always unifies warring factions is a larger, external threat. During the Middle Ages, Christian kings were content to fight amongst themselves until they began seeing Muslim control of Jerusalem as a cause for concern. They were able to unite as Christians against an outsider (the Muslims). In Yugoslavia, the Nazi invasion united all people in a massive resistance movement, once the war ended, bickering and eventually full scale armed conflict broke out as each ethnic group wanted a piece of the Yugoslavian pie.

So long as people are conscious of the numerous factors that set people apart, there will be conflict. This is inherent in human nature. People wish to feel part of something bigger than themselves, something that makes them special. This is impossible if everyone is a part of it. So we split into factions, and those factions split into smaller factions. And those factions too split into smaller factions. And while each can cooperate, there is always the potential that something will cause them to act against another. It's part of being human, and its why world peace is something not likely to happen in any of our lifetimes.

Learn more about this author, Bryan Jennings.
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