World Peace

by Akhilan, Sophomore 2 Cempaka, Class of 2015

Musicians sing about it, artists paint it, authors write about it, and leaders preach it. A goal that could draw mankind together. That, is world peace. It is a concept that has been around for centuries. Who could resist a world without conflict, without war? And yet, we are no closer to reaching it.

The fact that world peace is still unobtainable is absolutely sickening. As I say this, there is a family hiding in a shack somewhere in the Middle East, suffering from starvation, pain, depression and a fear of the gunshots being fired in close proximity. Then, there is a soldier telling himself that he is doing what is right for his country, knowing deep down that he is just one of thousands of pawns sent to commit meaningless slaughter. The death tolls: 

World War 2 - 60,669,200–84,589,300 casualties. 

Mongol Conquests - 30,000,000–60,000,000 casualties. 

World War 1 - 16,563,868–30,000,000 casualties.

As former US president John F. Kennedy so aptly stated,“Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.” We do know how devastating war is. If that is the case, why is war going on all over the globe? What are these wars over and why are they so incredibly destructive?

War has always formed over two relatively simple yet chaotic factors—wealth and power. Throughout man's history every major empire has desired control over the world. The Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Persian Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the United States of America, the list goes on. In that manner, wealth has become such a huge measure of power that the 'dollar signs' have indeed become power. As sad as it is, money dictates our world more than anything. The wealthier you are the more powerful you are, undeniably.

In our modern world, war has adopted an entirely different meaning than it had a few decades ago. With the development of nuclear weapons came an array of new, modern warfare. Now, with the simple push of a button, cities can be reduced to nothing but rubble and blood. It’s disgraceful that instead of using our technology and knowledge for development and science, we have used it to create weapons of massacre. 

Some of us may be waiting for that 'happily ever after' ending that will solve all our problems and leave us to skip delightfully through sunlit poppy fields. But we're never going to get that, because we will never attain complete world peace. This is simply because of our nature. While we are born with an affinity for love and kindness, we are also born with jealousy, anger, pride and yes, a thirst for power. Ironically, that is what drives the human spirit. Without these characteristics, our species would not have been able to survive this long.

Imagine all our leaders coming together to form one glorious nation, one based on trust and mutual respect. A world where all wealth on Earth is pooled in this one nation and is spread throughout based on population and necessities. A world where money is irrelevant. A world without poverty and unfairness. A world in which we search for the answers together, competing as one nation instead of against each other. That is the world we shall strive toward. And while it will probably never become a reality, it is indeed a beautiful portrait.