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THIRTY FOUR ✖ VOICE
[Charles sounds somewhere between conversational and tired as he starts his story. He doesn't often share much like this with the network, but he's had a lot of time to think about it and just wants to put it on record somewhere, where other people can hear it.]
When I was at Harvard for my undergraduate degree, one of my first classes - just one of those requirements for freshmen to make sure we're well rounded individuals when we leave and all that - was a discussion of ethics and morality. The professor - I can't remember his name - started his first lecture by telling us he wasn't going to sugarcoat the material we covered or try to glamorize any of it, because we would be talking about war and crime and various other ethical dilemmas and sparing us the gory details would be missing the point. [Which was more or less what he'd told Tony, a few days ago, when he'd shown him Erik's memories, to get him to really realize what an arrogant ass he was being and why it was unacceptable. He still feels badly about it, like he'd forced something on Tony and betrayed Erik's trust, but he did still think it had been necessary.]
And he continued by saying there is nothing else quite like war. So much of our history [And he doesn't specify "human history", because he might not technically be one, but separating himself from that group and divorcing himself from human history is sort of missing the point of what he's trying to say, here.] has been spent at war, or devising new methods to maim and kill soldiers and civilians alike, or trying to negotiate to prevent conflict. So much money and effort and emotion and cost goes into it. There really is nothing else like it.
And the simple truth is that's because war is easy. It's easy to lash out in anger against someone else before they strike against you, or to take something that doesn't belong to you because you want it, to use force to make other people see your point of view, whether that be religion or politics or ideals, because understanding your enemy is complicated. It's easier to force them to bend to your will rather than negotiating or trying to teach your enemy, whether you think you've been wronged and are rising up to overthrow an oppressor, or if you're the one crushing those weaker than you under your boot heel.
So war may be easier. But that doesn't mean peace isn't worth striving for, or that you're weak for trying to pursue it. At the end of the day, anything achieved by violent means will come into question and challenged. Tyrants are overthrown by people who quickly turn into despots themselves, violent political uprisings turn people against worthwhile causes and give the bigots justification to say "these people are a threat to my sense of security", which just leads to more oppression and injustice, therefore solving nothing. And if the oppressed do get a chance to stamp out their oppressors, they're often so full of rage about their past suffering that instead of trying to compromise and work together, they turn into oppressors themselves.
But teaching people, and learning to understand each other and put aside your differences to work for something else creates a more lasting impression. It can still be threatened, and it certainly isn't a quick solution, because there always will be bigots and would be warlords in the world, but it can be accomplished if people are willing to work for it. And working for that - a more lasting peace and deeper understanding, not some impermanent agreement based in fear and violence - is worth it.
When I was at Harvard for my undergraduate degree, one of my first classes - just one of those requirements for freshmen to make sure we're well rounded individuals when we leave and all that - was a discussion of ethics and morality. The professor - I can't remember his name - started his first lecture by telling us he wasn't going to sugarcoat the material we covered or try to glamorize any of it, because we would be talking about war and crime and various other ethical dilemmas and sparing us the gory details would be missing the point. [Which was more or less what he'd told Tony, a few days ago, when he'd shown him Erik's memories, to get him to really realize what an arrogant ass he was being and why it was unacceptable. He still feels badly about it, like he'd forced something on Tony and betrayed Erik's trust, but he did still think it had been necessary.]
And he continued by saying there is nothing else quite like war. So much of our history [And he doesn't specify "human history", because he might not technically be one, but separating himself from that group and divorcing himself from human history is sort of missing the point of what he's trying to say, here.] has been spent at war, or devising new methods to maim and kill soldiers and civilians alike, or trying to negotiate to prevent conflict. So much money and effort and emotion and cost goes into it. There really is nothing else like it.
And the simple truth is that's because war is easy. It's easy to lash out in anger against someone else before they strike against you, or to take something that doesn't belong to you because you want it, to use force to make other people see your point of view, whether that be religion or politics or ideals, because understanding your enemy is complicated. It's easier to force them to bend to your will rather than negotiating or trying to teach your enemy, whether you think you've been wronged and are rising up to overthrow an oppressor, or if you're the one crushing those weaker than you under your boot heel.
So war may be easier. But that doesn't mean peace isn't worth striving for, or that you're weak for trying to pursue it. At the end of the day, anything achieved by violent means will come into question and challenged. Tyrants are overthrown by people who quickly turn into despots themselves, violent political uprisings turn people against worthwhile causes and give the bigots justification to say "these people are a threat to my sense of security", which just leads to more oppression and injustice, therefore solving nothing. And if the oppressed do get a chance to stamp out their oppressors, they're often so full of rage about their past suffering that instead of trying to compromise and work together, they turn into oppressors themselves.
But teaching people, and learning to understand each other and put aside your differences to work for something else creates a more lasting impression. It can still be threatened, and it certainly isn't a quick solution, because there always will be bigots and would be warlords in the world, but it can be accomplished if people are willing to work for it. And working for that - a more lasting peace and deeper understanding, not some impermanent agreement based in fear and violence - is worth it.