In reference to the war in Ukraine, the tension between the Koreas, and the situation in the Middle East, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned this week, “Today, humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation.”
Having seen the “drills” that China carried out near Taiwan while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited there, and the aggressive rhetoric that accompanied those actions, it really does seem like we are one misstep from a nuclear cataclysm. But despite the edginess, I do not think that countries are likely to pull the nuclear trigger on each other since everyone understands that there really is no going back from a nuclear war, and who knows if humanity will recover.
America performed a very significant exercise and managed to complete it without anything actually happening. However, we must not forget that people are constantly at war; it is in our nature. What succeeded now, may not succeed tomorrow.
“Although wars are acts of violence, their outcome is increased incorporation between the fighting parties. The trajectory of reality is growing realization of our connectedness, and war is a violent manner of incorporation, a result of our unwillingness to do so voluntarily.”
There is a reason for wars. As we already know, all of reality is connected and each element affects every other element. We, too, are parts of that network, but we are oblivious to it and act as if each of us lives in his or her own universe.
Wars are a result of clashes between people’s and nations’ sense of individuality, and the fact that we are all connected and dependent on each other. When conflicting aspirations clash, we try to impose our will on the challenger, and when we fail, we often resort to violence. As a result, we are gradually learning that we are connected and not isolated, and that if we want to lead a decent life, we have no choice but to collaborate. However, we are learning it the hard way, and we do not have to.
Although wars are acts of violence, their outcome is increased incorporation between the fighting parties. The trajectory of reality is growing realization of our connectedness, and war is a violent manner of incorporation, a result of our unwillingness to do so voluntarily.
“Therefore, the winner of the war is not the one with the bigger army or the one that begins the aggression. The winner is incorporation, although neither side wants it.”
Therefore, the winner of the war is not the one with the bigger army or the one that begins the aggression. The winner is incorporation, although neither side wants it.
Currently, I do not think that we are one miscalculation from a nuclear war. However, if we insist on resisting the growing connection and incorporation, it will happen. There is no doubt about it since this is the direction of the evolution of reality.
If we choose connection, with its countless benefits, over separation and alienation from each other, we will not only reap the benefits of working together and living in a society that is based on mutual responsibility, we will also avoid the dismal future that awaits us if we make that one miscalculation. It is my hope that in the near future, the world will realize this and make the right decision for the sake of humanity and for the sake of the world.
