What is War?

We usually think of it as soldiers with rifles and pistols, tanks and mortars, airmen in fighter planes or bombers and now drones dropping bombs and ships shelling or firing rockets at other ships or land positions.
Of course it hasn’t always been this way. War has “progressed” from being fought with clubs, axes and knives to spears then swords and shields, horses and chariots, knights in armour, muskets, bayonets, gattling guns to machine guns and land mines.
That is the classical application of the principles of war. But will it always be this way or is war being redefined or the principles of warfare otherwise applied?
What is war? According to Mirriam Webster, was is “a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations”. I think that a very narrow definition of war.
A broader definition might be the application of force by one group/nation against another group/nation to coerce compliance, acquire land or other resources or to protect the people, land or resources of the protagonists.
With all the talk of and focus on present armed conflicts, are we majorly neglecting the morphing shape of war?
Or is it even still being exclusively fought this way. When we look further we see it hasn’t been for a while.
For centuries we have had espionage and counter-espionage.
For at least decades, perhaps longer, we have had “propaganda” being employed against the population by their own government and foreign powers to bring about a desired point of view. Sometimes true data is used, often not.
We have had covert funding of other allied or aligned groups, some of whom are engaged in armed conflict.
On a less than international stage and changing to a “war of words” we have had the “war of the sexes” for some time now and at present we have the apparent war in Australia between the people who want same sex marriage and those who don’t.
For decades last century we had the Cold War, an ideological war between Capitalism and Communism for the hearts and minds of men. Not a war always overtly fought with weapons but fought no less aggressively by the communists and their symapthisers with propaganda and hidden influence aimed at the perversion of moral standards, destruction of education techniques and standards, undermining of religious and moral values and ethic levels, economic destruction of the middle class and so on. And while on the surface of it, communism would appear to have failed as an economic alternative to capitalism, their initiated destruction of the West continues to this day, funded by George Soros.
The West also funded opposition to non-aligned regimes, orchestrated or conducted assasinations of national leaders, channeled funds through multiple entities that ended up purchasing weapons for armed insurgents and terrorist groups. So they are not at all lily white.
OK, that’s war between countries, states and groups. What about “war” in a broader sense engaged in by commercial interests. This is not commonly spoken of in general conversation but exists nevertheless. Perhaps it is not as readily contemplated or discussed because the body count does not appear on the 6 o’clock news.
Or is it because our worst ability is being able to confront eviil and only evil we are forced to confront makes it past our “I don’t want to even think about that” filter. Let’s raise our confront level abd look closer at this.
For some time now we have also had war-like tactics being engaged in by commercial firms. Last week I saw one Australian hardware chain accused of industrial espionage against its rivals.
And in my Healthelicious newsletter of Monday 9th October is an article reporting where a judge ruled Merck, the makers of the MMR and Gardisil vaccines guilty of “systematic and outrageous deception in conjunction with unethical business practices”.
In the past I had also heard of paid trolls, people employed by companies or government agencies to post comments on social media promoting a propaganda line.
As I look around the posts I see on social media and the clips reported there of what politicians say I see a great many lies spoken and written in support of things I observe to be destructive.
OK, so before we look at those things, let’s define what is our ideal scene for the people of a nation.
A nation of intelligent, well informed, aware and free people enjoying an abundant, civilised and cultured life, in harmony with each other and their international neighbours, free to pursue their vocational and leisure interests in safety and free of domesic or foreign interference, be that military, economic, financial, medical, mental or spiritual.
So, how are we doing against that ideal scene, what is the current scene:
Environment
The use of depleted uranium in ammunition,
The use of Australia’s shorelines for military exercises with the aforementioned depleted uranium munitions,
The fracking of gas under farm lands and water sources,
Poisons being approved for use as pesticides that are destructive to human and animal life and the environment.
Massive pollution continuing relatively unchecked while false threats are used to distract and divide the people and make money for a select few.
Economy
The overt dismantling of Australia’s manufacturing industry as a result of the Lima Ageement in 1972,
The unfettered purchasing of Australia’s farming assets by Chinese firms going on today.
The permitting of the country as a whole to live outside its means.
The government borrowing of massive debt.
The selling off of public assets.
The export of energy resources with consequent price hikes domestically.
The allowing of local banks to recklessly invest in derivatives while not protecting households from risk.
Medicine
Undue influence by a medical monopoly aligned with a pharmaceutical cartel.
Vitamins, herbs, and natural therapy practitioners under restriction or attack.
Drugs and vaccines approved, promoted and mandated that cause more harm than the diseases for which they are promoted to prevent while not conferring immunity while at the same time suppressing natural and effective, non-drug treatments.
Food
Thousands of toxins allowed into our food supply.
Untested, genetically altered foods being approved by agencies tasked with protecting our health and later being found to cause harm and death.
Nutritionaly deficient, food like substances allowed to dominate the food supply leading to avoidable ill-health, disease and early death.
Education
The deliberate dumbing down of the population by lowering the education standards and not developing or applying a workable technology of study.
The introduction and promotion of concepts and ideology antipathetic to the survival of the individual and the family unit.
Police
The progressive militarisation of local police forces.
The increased use of lethal force by the police against a more upset and sometimes drug-crazed populace.
Justice System
A Judicial system that has nothing to do with Justice for the individual and seemingly an enforcement arm of government and big business interests.
If you broaden the definition of an act of war to be something more like, “Any action taken against an enemy to reduce their assets and resources, power, influence and effectiveness, survival potential or longevity.” and look over the above list of departures from the ideal scene could you not be forgiven for coming to the conclusion that we the people are at war with commerce and the government of the country as a result of them not just allowing but in many cases promoting the above conditions?
And, as a result of this recognition of an undeclared state of war, could you not be forgiven for wanting to reorganise your life so the that the destructive influences listed above have as little impact as possible on you and yours while also warning others and seeking more effective action to increase awareness of more people and defund those who are so antipathetic to our survival?
And how do you do the above while having to remain part of the very system antipathetic to your survival?
Here is a start. I wrote this a few months back.
Most of us would not knowingly, deliberately fund a terrorist organisation.
Most of us unwittingly do, every day, through the purchases we make.
To avoid this, take the following steps:
MAJOR TARGET:
To reduce the power (income, personnel and influence) of the multinationals and increase your awareness, competence and survival potential.
OPERATING TARGETS:
Become more aware. (Ignorance is never bliss. It leads to unpleasant surprises, often with disastrous consequences.)
Inform and educate yourself as to the way The System works and tread a different path.
Add your voice to the campaigns promoting sanity over vested interests, government power, tyranny and corruption.
Start by reading labels and understanding what is in what you eat and who is the owner of the business from whom you are buying.
Don’t buy things you don’t need.
Pay down your debt.
Get more competent at communication and selling and marketing.
Transition to a job that is on your basic purpose line. (Chances are it won’t be working for a multinational.)
PRODUCTION TARGETS:
Buy local, patronise mum and dad business and local farmers organic markets.
Have 50% of my weekly expenditure go to non-multinationals within 3 months.
Have 70% of my weekly expenditure go to non-multinationals within 6 months.
Make the time to make more of your own food rather than buying preprepared and packaged food.
Have 70% of my food made at home within three months.
Have 90% of my food made at home within twelve months.
Sell what you have that you do not need.
Clear out non-used items and garage sale or otherwise sell them – 3 months.