I am not going to lie and say that I know even half of the situation in Iraq. It would be a crime to pretend like I knew how we should handle Saddam Hussein.
I would love to understand it and be able to hold intelligent conversations about it at Lordsburg Coffee Shop with friends, but I would rather talk about things that hold no meaning.
So in my attempt to learn more about the world surrounding me, I intently listened in my peace studies class on Wednesday during a class discussion.
Steve Kinzie, who is one of my favorite professors here at the University, asked questions that made me think. He asked, is warfare an invention? Is war something that could be bypassed? Is it necessary to retaliate every action with war?
Some would argue that we live in the most violent nation in the world. They would say that our nation is filled with trigger-happy people who try to impose our so-called democratic beliefs on a world that perhaps is not ready for what America has coined as the correct form of government.
Many attitudes changed after Sept. 11. Even I will admit that the tragic events of Sept. 11 put things into a new light for me, a light that was shining with a vengeance and a need to understand what we did to deserve this kind of a tragedy. But does that mean that we should attack every prospective foe?
We, meaning our government, have this innate desire to obliterate every potential threat, (key word: potential). Are we as Americans, innately violent people?
If you answer that question rationally, you would answer yes. So many different cultures around the world that actually have a reason (well, at least more than the U.S. does) to be violent, choose not to be. What does that say about us?
Have we invented war so we have an answer to every dilemma that our country is thrust into?
Do we automatically assume that every conflict can only be resolved in warfare? What ever happened to the peaceful alternatives to warfare? Have we traded words like elucidation and resolution for words like confrontation and disruption?
I sit in my dorm room every night and ponder what life would be like if we should go to war. It is a thought that keeps me awake at night.
I fear for my brother, who would be the prime age if they should ever reinstate the draft. Do we really want to face the harsh reality of war or are we living with the ideal thought that this war with Iraq will only last a week, when in all reality it could be the next Vietnam?
I guess the true question is not, what will become of our country if we should go to war, but what will become of our friends and family members – especially males – who could be affected greatly by the selfish decision of a man who is trying to get revenge for his father.
After I thought about all this in my head in my peace studies class, I then heard Steve Kinzie say words that I believe will resonate through my head for a long time to come.
He said, “If warfare is invention, maybe we could invent something better.”
I took it as a challenge. Although I know that not everyone’s attitudes about war can be swayed by reading a 700 word opinion column, or even by listening to a discussion in a peace studies class, but maybe at least it gives you something to think about. Peace is something that has not been invented yet. We throw the word around a lot, but is there a patented form of peace? Not quite, but who is to say it isn’t possible.
Amanda Stutevoss, a senior broadcasting and journalism major, is editor in chief of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at astute4@aol.com.
