War is not conscious and does not develop higher consciousness..period

[xiamiam]

more war is not the answer..more mercenaries is not the answer...greed and lust for power are not the answer...celebrity is not the answer..multi million dollar toys that blow things up are not the answer

the answer lies within our hearts..we are one planet..one human race

evolution of consciousness is the answer

there is nothing that will convince me differently...nothing that anyone can say to convince me that exploding villages or cities will create harmony or peace..

i dont care how many of you flame me or call me naive...or whatever..I stand firm...peace is a process that can only be achieved with love and understanding of our oneness rather than our differences..

educate, feed, heal, nurture...stop the madness ..refuse to believe anyone who tries to convince you that killing will lead to peace...it is a lie

[StarfarerBill]

1. Not naive...

...just way too sensible, when another wargasm is upon us. +1

[Jim__]

2. When you say that war is not conscious, I'm not sure what you mean.

People are certainly conscious that they are waging war. I'm afraid that part of what lies within our hearts is war - it seems to be a part of our evolutionary heritage. "Evolution of consciousness" may well be an answer, but, I believe that is beyond our control.

I think the best we can do right now, is limit the weapons and the savagery of war. We should try to eliminate it, but so far that hasn't worked. I believe we can make it less devastating.

[xiamiam]

3. war does not lie in our hearts

the only reason wars have ever been fought is for "property" or some aspect of that concept..we have been duped into believing it is an inherent part of our makeup..it is not..we are so much more than those who control us would have us believe..we are thought, light, creativity, passion...all of us....war is a for profit game..unfortunately, profit seems to control everything...call it what it is..tiresome and barbaric..polarizing ..fueled by greed...

[Jim__]

4. There were wars before there was property.

Property is a relatively recent construct. Before there was property humans fought over territory. The Yanomamo, a primitive people in the Amazon forest, fight wars. The wars they fight strongly resemble "wars" fought between chimpanzee groups.

[xiamiam]

6. well, territory is a form of property..

first question asked by my prof about a million years ago when i was a freshman in college..civilization 101..

[bik0]

17. Some wars are based in ideology i.e. Nazism, radical Islam

Power and control are the driving factors for most wars. Hitler wanted the Aryan super race to rule the world. Radical Muslims want to establish a one religion world (Ummah) based on Islam and Sharia law.

[BakedAtAMileHigh]

7. Your version of "consciousness" is kinda sad

Humanity is NOT truly conscious when they conduct war. If humanity was fully awake and conscious of its actions we would conduct ourselves very differently. I find your idea that we can limit violence while sleepwalking across the planet naive in the extreme: history proves you wrong at every turn. Sorry, you're in denial.

[Jim__]

11. And your idea is?

Become truly conscious? Tell me what that means and how a not truly conscious species becomes truly conscious.

[Echo In Light]

14. In practical, first phase terms, it entails individuated & collective un-learning

The internet has helped with this...but w/o a national platform open to a wide range of voices to encourage and promote critical thinking, and heterodox, unconventional views/ideas, the usual mass marketed, poison jive holds sway. That aside, the idea of people thinking/feeling/living their way out of their cultural indoctrination still works best one on one, one mind at a time a la baby steps.

[Jim__]

15. What evidence is there that war is learned cultural behavior?

War seems to be part of our evolutionary heritage. I believe critical thinking and rationalism are only marginal components of human behavior; rationalism doesn't seem to be in control. It doesn't seem to be in control in outside cultures we encounter either. I'm not sure we can just switch to put it in control.

[bik0]

16. To be "fully conscious" is to see the world without interpretation

Life is like a Rorschach ink blot. This is the nature of the mind. We see what we want to see or what we've been conditioned to see whether we want to or not. Zen Buddhists meditate to reach the state of "no mind" where life is perceived as it is, without labels, prejudgments or internal dialogue.

[FarCenter]

5. Genetic studies show successive waves of population replacement

In Europe, not only did the modern Homo Sapiens replace Neandertals, but the modern paleolithics are different from the hunter-gatherers who are different from the agriculturalists.

It's unlikely to have all been polite competition for resources.

[xiamiam]

8. we are not neanderthals...we just act like it..nt

[FarCenter]

13. There is not much evidence that Neanderthals were significantly different from modern humans

At least not with respect to behavior. E.g. there is good evidence for cannibalism in both subspecies.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. "If it's natural to kill, how come men have to go into training to learn how?" - Joan Baez

[The2ndWheel]

19. Have to be taught how to farm too

That's not too natural either. There's also a connection between both of them.

[bik0]

10. Like many animal species, humans are territorial

The urge to defend territory is as deeply seated in our consciousness as the survival instinct.

[xiamiam]

20. we experience both animal instinct and consciousness..

it is the evolution of consciousness, as i originally posted that is most important...it is just not a good excuse that we are animals..we are so much more... today, in this age and time, we must demand more from ourselves and our leaders..war has never been the answer for peace..I'm tired of anyone pretending it is..we know better

[bik0]

21. Is it ok for an enslaved population to rise up in arms against their oppressor?

And yes... I am aware of Ghandi however a peaceful campaign using economic pressure would never work against a tyrant such as Hitler, Stalin etc. If war isn't the answer, how should the world have responded to Hitler?

[xiamiam]

22. yes...it is ok..there are exceptions..this is not one of them..nt

[Echo In Light]

12. K&R

[Xenotime]

18. War is the only thing the un-educated understand.