Military

More or less, most of the inventions we now see are/were based on military investments. For example, high ways in the U.S. were made so that, in case of attack, the army could afford to move around the nation fairly effectively. Another thing is the internet which, to my knowledge, was popularized by DARPA (I may be wrong, and there isn't one consensus on who 'invented' it. Just who helped make it.) I also know that the U.S. has a war time economy that we have never totally shifted out of.

When it comes to research facilities, the companies really need the money to function and that money has to come through the government typically, and defense is very important to a nation. This includes having the latest weapons and such which need to be constantly developed, manufactured, and tested. I wouldn't suspect that a major amount of the items produced at such said research facility go directly into killing other human beings (Unless you work for a weapon R & D place but then that's obvious) and the results of militarized projects aren't always bad, as can be seen by the two cases above.

You can't fix this problem until we have some semblance of peace, otherwise what's the point of NOT making weapons when someone who is vying to destroy your nation is making bigger and better weapons all the time. Why do we fight now? It used to be the three G's: God, Glory, and gold. Now only the last two apply, glory and gold (Money and land)

With that being said, I don't think many of our 'inventions' are given importance based on their military value. Some things are purely industrial/civil and are just endorsed by the military because they have the money to do so, remember, they're human too.

OOC: Kinda off topic in places >.>

 

President Eisenhower warned us of what would happen if we let the military industrial complex go unchecked.
Wars and conflict are needed by the defense industry to survive.
They will see to it that there is always conflict somewhere.

From President Eisenhower's farewell speech, January 17, 1961.

"A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction... This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence

 

Yes, we are an imperialist nation and have been since the beginning. That isn't going to change anytime soon.

 

I think ENFP was talking about the world at large, seeing as she lives in Europe according to her profile.

 

On the other hand, imagine how silly we would feel, having beaten our swords into ploughshares, twenty two minutes before a huge well-armed force descends upon us, hyped up to do battle.
And how dead we all might be, as a result.
The sad truth is: not everybody wants peace.

I think the only viable way of working for peace is to become peaceful.
Person by person, a bit at a time.
Not weak. Not defenseless.
Just peaceful.

 

Lament that it is not so.
But do not forget that it is so.

In the words of Ecclesiastes: "There is nothing new under the sun" and trying to fix it is "vanity and chasing after wind."

 

A quote from one of my favorite books. If only I could give you reputation. to Afrelen.

 

Such is the lie we tell ourselves. Nothing changed. We still have the same problems. You only think we were all soldiers once. Nobody has become enlightened, nobody ever will. Especially on their own. By ourselves all our activities can bear no fruit. Even if there were no soldiers, you've only treated the symptoms of the illness at hand, not the illness itself. The problem is not that there is war or that there are soldiers. The problem is man, that is why Solomon writes that he wishes none of us were ever born then immediately afterward writes that it, too, is vanity.

 

My point is, that it solves no problems. We aren't getting better and it's only too much judgment because it judges you, and you think you don't deserve. News is, you do, we all do. The point of Ecclesiastes on the whole is that none of us are capable of overcoming this, nor are all of us doing it together. Pacifism solves no problems, it tells us to ignore them. Even if we were all to lay down arms and get together and be friendly, we'd still be the rebellious human beings we are.

PS: You can still hope for it. I've been too dark for any of our own good, but we do have to come to terms with the fact that militaries are not the real problem. Take them away and nothing will change. If that gives you hope that they can be, go for it, but all wisdom says that you've solved nothing.

 

That's the original sin.

 

Reality and the ideals meet once in awhile. After a good spot of tea, they go about their own ways once again. Each has its place and neither can lay claim to being the stronger of the two. We can become somewhat blind to one or the other when we focus on one more than the other.
New galaxies(to us) are appearing in front of our eyes from technologies
used in wartime. Plillippians 4:8 has some great advice.