Sunday, June 04, 2006

World Peace

People always want "world peace," by which they mean no war. I want nearly global peace, by which I mean that I want everyone in the world not to be oppressed. Arguing semantics? Always.

In history, the closest thing to lack of war is also the closest thing to complete domination. The Pax Romana was the result of the military dominance of Rome and, contrary to popular belief, it was only civil peace, that is there were no civil wars (wars between citizens) during that period, though fighting continued for the sake of holding the boarders and trying to subdue tribeal nations like the Germans and the Celts (Gauls) or the various tribes in the Brittish Isles.

As an idealist, I understand the desire for no wars. But as a student of history, and as a person with an active imagination, I cannot conceive of a world that is utterly at peace without that peace being the result of projects that destroy cultures and dominate people.