Plague of Violence: I think we're fighting our way to extinction.

I know I promised no more depressing posts, but there's nothing but depressing stuff to talk about. With ISIS determined to blow up everything and everyone from the Middle East to Tunisia and beyond, and mad people cutting off heads in France, I can't help thinking that we're fighting ourselves into extinction.

Religions for the most part haven't been exactly friendly. But then, that's their fault. Apart from Hindus, Jews and Sikhs, religions have always clashed. Christians eradicated "paganism" in France, England, Ireland, and most of western Europe; it's caused the Crusades because it though that was a sure-fire way of winning a one way pass to Heaven, and it has, on occasion, lashed out at Jews, mostly pre-1800 whenever something went wrong and the clever people of the time couldn't explain what it was. Islam, too, has given rise to bullying the Jews, as well as fighting Christianity at every opportunity. Most of this fighting has been over Jerusalem, which holds some or most of the important sites for Christianity, Islam, and - I have to point this out - their ANCESTRAL religion, Judaism. Christianity can certainly be called a descendant of Judaism - Jesus was, after all, a Jew.

But it's not just religion that we're killing each other over. Russia and America have been glaring at each other ever since 1945, both determined to be the biggest power in the world; China is almost certainly the same, North Korea is obviously the exact same, only more brash.

We will use any excuse to seize something we desire, with force if necessary. As Thomas More once said,

"War is an activity fit only for beasts, yet practiced by no beast so constantly as by man."

What exactly are we all fighting for? Survival, religious expression, economical safety? Sure, they might be good reasons, but I'd be more prepared to fight for survival than religion or the economy, since both are defined by the country which we live in. I think we use violence because of a breakdown in communication, and a breakdown in non-violence.

It's also due to a lack of respect - respect for other people, with other cultures, other religions, and other values to ours. As for me, I have always tried to live by this one tenet amongst others: I give the respect I get. Granted, I don't always live up to it, but purely because I'm less aggressive than others, so I tend to let disrespect slide a lot more than I should.

I think all the violence distorts what it's fighting for. Look at ISIS - they're fighting for their religious beliefs, and yet non-Muslims are beginning to view all Muslims as extremists, terrorists and murderers. I do not, of course, condone this view in any way - I try to judge every person I meet based on who they are and how they react to me. I'm simply paraphrasing Pope John-Paul II:

"Social justice cannot be attained by violence. Violence destroys what it intends to create."

What better incentive do we need to stop the damned fighting? Violence doesn't win you what you want, unless you're a psychopath, an extreme loner, or a vampire. It doesn't win you respect, or love, or wealth most of the time.

You earn the respect you give, you earn the freedom you give, and you can do that by being sincere in dealing with others. Bryant H. McGill, the last quote I'm going to give this post, is brilliant for saying this:

"One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another [person] has to say."