Maybe someday we'll outgrow it ... our historic need for more power and more resources -- whatever the immediate cost.
United States military casualties of war
Total American Deaths by War
larger
Of course most humans descend from a long line of such power-hoaders -- with no regard for the costs.
List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll
Lowest estimate Highest est. Event Percentage of the world population[1]
40,000,000[2] 72,000,000[3] World War II 1.7%–3.1%
30,000,000[5] 30,000,000 Late Yuan warfare, transition to Ming Dynasty 6.7%
25,000,000[6] 25,000,000 Qing dynasty conquest of the Ming Dynasty 4.8%
20,000,000[7] 100,000,000[8][9][10][11][12] Taiping Rebellion 1.6%–8%
15,000,000[13] 65,000,000 World War I (High estimate includes Spanish flu deaths)[14] 0.8%–3.6%
15,000,000[15] 20,000,000[15] Conquests of Timur-e-Lang 3.4%–4.5%
13,000,000[17] 36,000,000[18] An Lushan Rebellion 5.5%–15.3%
8,000,000[19][20] 12,000,000 Dungan revolt 0.6%–0.9%
5,000,000[?] 30,000,000[?] Conquests by the Empire of Japan [?%]
5,000,000[?] 9,000,000[21] Russian Civil War 0.28%–0.5%
2,500,000[22] 5,400,000[23] Second Congo War 0.06%–0.09%
3,500,000[?] 7,000,000[24] Napoleonic Wars 0.4%–0.7%
3,000,000 11,500,000[25] Thirty Years' War 0.5%–2.1%
[... and so on ... and so on ...]
It's enough to cause one to shudder to think about it, as most of us do ...
Thank my lucky stars ... my number's still toiling away.
Because if the "mortal coil" still springs ... so does the opportunity for human growth.
Maybe someday we'll outgrow it ... our historic disregard of the plight of others, in order to further some grand, noble cause.
Causes which few will remember, once history pauses to count its casualties ...
The Most Violent Century
by Stephen Elliott, vision.org/visionmedia/history -- August 23, 2010
[...]
Joseph Stalin is supposed to have said, “One death is a tragedy, a million deaths is only a statistic.” When we talk about such huge and incomprehensible multitudes, the mind numbs to the horrors suffered by individuals.
[...]
Daily world news reports of organized conflicts, terrorism, bombings, murders, political deceptions and other examples of the powerful forcing their will on the weak, have become the normal background noise of what we call civilization. Are we so numbed by it that we no longer feel outrage?
Can we expect no better from humanity? The very term humanity intends to signify a higher, better nature -- but where is it? What keeps modern, highly educated and cultured peoples in the competitive, animalistic mind-set of the jungle and prevents cooperation for mutual good?
Have we nothing to look forward to but more efficient destruction, more planned chaos, more merciless coercion? Unfortunately, it would seem so. In fact, many scientists and experts fear for the very survival of the human race and of the planet. Stephen Hawking, one of the noted scientific minds of our time, asked the question, “In a world that is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race sustain another 100 years?” He later added, “I don't know the answer. That is why I asked the question.”
A Telegraph article proposes, “The survival of mankind depends on nations overcoming their lethargy and tackling the problems of climate change, species extinction and feeding a growing population, a panel of the world's leading scientists has said.” Sadly, without a change in the violent nature of humanity, it seems doubtful that we can resolve these problems for the benefit of all and not just a few. It would appear that mankind’s governments have little to offer in the way of solutions. Perhaps this is as good as it gets.
[...]
Maybe someday we'll outgrow it ...
AND maybe someday we won't ... and that would be a tragic shame.
For an intelligent species, we sure haven't learned much about how to make the "best" use of our true potentials; not yet anyways ...
We like to think "were here for a purpose", but from the way violence drives the course of our collective histories, one has to shudder when contemplating what our "ultimate purpose" may turn out to be ...
As a species, as a nation, as a society, as a workplace, as a network ... as individuals.
Where are we headed? Or is there even any "we" about it anymore ... ?
What does the future hold for a nation, that can not even persuade its representatives to honor its overwhelming will to return to public safety ... to return to sanity;
... to give the non-violent approach a chance?
You know, to let our common humanity grow ... try to grow out of our shared violent pasts.
When do we ever pause, to ask and then answer, the questions posed so many great Progressive thinkers over the ages:
When does the Hurting stop?
Those would be
time-outs very well worth taking, if we are ever to "grow out of it, someday" ... to live up to our potential, to find our true purpose, as fragile, creative, compassionate human beings ...