The last resort, not the first.

 

“War should always be the last resort.”- Joe Biden. The world should stop making eachother afraid of each other. The world is already a place where unnecessary changes are being made. Without nuclear weapons and tanks and bombs and guns and any other kind of tool used to harm other humans, the world would surely become a much better place. 

 

"War should only be declared by the authority of the people, whose toils and treasures are to support its burdens, instead of the government which is to reap its fruits." - James Madison. Although preparing for war is not the same as declaring a war, when we keep nuclear weapons, high - tech bombs and tanks, it’s mostly the same as holding up a fist at someone. Like this:

  

 

Although the fist is not hitting the person, it is still very uncomfortable or offending. So, if one country is creating nuclear weapons and gadgets like that, the countries nearby will feel uncomfortable or seriously offended.

 

“They got money for wars but can’t feed the poor.” - Tupac Shakur. A long time ago, people fought for food and land. They were not able to obtain the basic amount of food for everyone. Nowadays, people fight for power, authority, and money. For instance, take a look at the Korean war. Japan wanted Korea to be their colony. They wanted the land and the power over Korea. Even the name ‘Korea’ was actually changed by Japan. At first it was ‘Corea’. But, in the Olympics, C is announced faster than J. Japan did not allow that. So, they told Korea’s name to be ‘Korea’. In addition, when countries spend money on war gadgets and weapons, it is wasting resources. The world is starving and that country is spending huge amounts of money on weapons that will most likely not be used for a long time. The U.S government spends nearly $770 billion a year on national defense. If the U.S did not have to spend half of the cost, then $385 billion would be able to be used for feeding the poor or meeting the citizen’s needs. “There’s enough on this planet for everyone’s needs but not for everyone’s greed.” - Mahatma Gandhi. 

 

“If we do not end war, then war will end us.” - H.G.Wells. If a country prepares for war, doesn’t it mean that they think that war is still going to exist? It’s not real peace if a country is aware that a country nearby might attack it. If war is still going to exist, that means it will happen. The countries should get rid of most of the weapons used in war.  When the country believes and is aware of other countries coming for them, war will most likely still exist. Also, just like it’s not real resting if you’re nervous that someone will notice it was the end of your break time. Just like the example, peace is not real peace if the countries are not comfortable not preparing weapons ‘just in case.’

 

“There is no path to peace. Peace is the path.” - Mahatma Gandhi. To conclude, preparing for war is one of the worst ways to prepare for peace. It should always be the last resort, not the first. Preparing big weapons like tanks may be offensive to countries close by, and it is also a huge waste of money that could be dedicated to improving the country’s infrastructure. In addition, peace is not peace if you are aware that war might happen.

(Here’s an interview with my homeroom teacher, Mr.Ben, about this topic!)

 

(Recording here)