By Barnes Mawrie
“I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity” (Dwight D. Eisenhower).
Of all living beings, only man is a self-destructive being. History of human civilization shows that humans invented weapons like knives, spears, bows and arrows etc, primarily for hunting. But gradually these weapons became instruments of aggression and massacre. Human beings have been most creative in the invention of weapons of mass destruction. More weapons mean more wars and greater destruction and more waste of public money.
In the last century humanity has witnessed two world wars one deadlier than the other. The use of destructive weapons was highest during World War II which culminated in the massive destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 with the use of the atom bombs by the Americans. The human casualty in World War II was a whopping number of 75 million, many of whom were innocent victims. In this present century wars have not ended but have only multiplied in various parts of the world.
The Middle East is a region of perpetual wars where guns and bombs rule the roost and thousands of innocent people die every day. Weaponizing a nation has become the priority of most countries in the world today. The constant fear of being invaded by hostile neighbours is the cause of arms race in many countries. The best example of this is countries like India, China and Pakistan. Looking at the defence budget of some countries it makes us realize how much national wealth goes down the drain in acquiring weapons. China’s defence budget for 2020 was 178 billion dollars and in 2021 it stands at 209 billion dollars which is 6.8% of the national budget. India’s defence budget for 2020-21 stands at Rs. 4,71,378 crores which is 7% of the national budget. On the other hand education budget for 2020-21 is Rs. 99,300 crores, that is 5% of the national budget. Pakistan which is a struggling economy has earmarked 11.9% of the national budget to defence. Had it not been for the Corona Pandemic most countries, even the US, would have invested less in health care. Looking at the staggering amount of national wealth wasted in defence, we ask a question – What would India be if this 6.8% defence budget were to be spent in alleviating poverty? I am sure there would not be a hungry person anymore in India. So too it can be said of other countries who spend so much on defence.
The irony of all this is that wealthy and advanced countries like the US, Russia, France, UK and now China, are manufacturing modern weapons and are selling these to other countries. We all know that rebel groups in the Middle East, in Africa or in Asia get their supply of arms either from the US, Russia or China. In this manner these countries are indirectly responsible for armed conflicts in these continents. In the process they make money at the expense of peace and human lives.
It is said that after the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the bulk of weapons manufactured during the cold war period which were lying in stock, was sold off by arms dealers to many third world countries. Man has become so vicious and yet so brainy as to create more and more sophisticated weapons from ballistic missiles to weaponized drones. As long as human beings remain greedy and ambitious, they will keep on waging wars and the arms race will continue. The case of China today is a clear example of this. This nation has become so ambitious and aggressive that it wants to expand its power beyond its territory. It does this by flexing its military might and by building arms. Yet it does not realize that its aggression will ultimately lead to its own destruction. Experience has shown that arms race is a vicious cycle because it turns back on the perpetrators.
As long as human beings are not willing to abide by the law of love, wars will continue. Unfortunately, humans have not learnt from history, that violence begets violence and the cycle is endless. The prophetic song “Imagine” of John Lennon is an appropriate message for today. The singer says “imagine there’s no countries…nothing to kill or die for. Imagine there’s no possessions…no need for greed or hunger. A brotherhood of man. Imagine all the people sharing all the world.” How beautiful is the message of this famous song. I hope leaders of nations like Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Bashar al-Assad, Imran Khan, Narendra Modi and others learn to listen to this song every day. Perhaps one day it may strike a note of assent and lead to a change of heart.
At the end of World War II, people said unanimously “no more war.” But soon enough they have forgotten it and war mongering is on again. It is the prayer of every peace lover in the world that our leaders and governments learn to take the path of peace and start respecting every neighbouring country, learn sympathy towards each other, put an end to greed and ambition and live as one brotherhood of man. It is high time that powerful countries stop the arms race and instead invest more on human development. It is really sickening to see news reports on unending armed conflicts in different parts of the world. I dare to dream that one day we will have no more need of standing armies, no more proud display of weapons, no more fear of neighbours because every country would have learnt the futility of building weapons, the misery of wars and the wonderful power of love and peace. I hope someday the prophecy of Isaiah 2:4 would come true: “they shall beat their swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war anymore.”