War without end (Part 2 - Building Empires)

The pursuit of empire has been the downfall of every great society throughout history. Our current task of protecting our country has taken a turn down the path of pre-emptive war and to force our enemies to submit under the force of our hand. Our current administrations answer to the problem is to force our belief that democracy is the way to peace. Forcing democracy is the way that we will tame the sword of terror that resides along the "Axis of Evil" and around the globe. By conquering the enemy where they breed and spread their disease we will somehow become the cure, the ultimate drug, the cure for the worlds terrorist cancer. Force is the only way. Force is our solution.

Have you ever dealt with an angry dog? How do you tame the vicious animal? What happens when you strike the beast? Do they cower or do they just get more angry? If brute force is the answer then why have we been so successful in the past by using containment and the threat of assured annialation against our enemies?

I find it interesting that a large majority of our country believes that this course we have taken is the correct one. Why is that? Is it because we relate to the burly machismo of our president, how he is so confident and assuring that brute force is the ultimate solution to the problem? Maybe it is because we have been taught that we are unbeatable. The military force of of our country is unmatched around the world they say. But how were we so easily and mortally wounded on September 11th and most importantly why?

We are busy people and uninvolved in the world around us outside our own lives. Maybe brute force is just an easy way to react to a complex problem. Terrorism and the reason we were attacked is a complicated problem but for most Americans we need to see our world in soundbytes and we need to feel better immediately so we can get back to our daily lives. We need to feel safe at all costs and the easiest way to do that is to act on our instincts. We've been taught to practice the teachings of taking an eye for an eye. They kill us - we will kill them and that takes the complexity out of the problem. As a parent I've noticed more and more in my children and myself that our natural instinct is to strike out when we are wronged. It is a natural instinct we are born with. If we are hurt physically or emotionally we just strike instead of thinking. Why is that? It's because it is easier for us to deal with our problems that way. Just strike instead of think and you'll feel instantly better.

Article Author: Christopher Auman

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