Human beings are born with the desire to be dominant.

It is a natural instinct that can be explained by the theory of natural selection; those that are stronger will survive. Today, it is not so much the need to be the strongest predator out there to capture the most food to survive, but instead, the idea that whoever is the strongest will be the one to control those weaker around them. Many people learn to control this desire and become equals with whom they are living. In some rare cases though, a person cannot control this desire and, in turn, becomes overcome with the need to exert his or her dominance over others. It is a naturally occurring desire that, over time, becomes more and more prominent as he or she grows up in society. If people grow up in a place in which wars occur very often, then this is the way these people know how to solve problems and show dominance over another group of people. Although war is often turned to as the answer to disagreements and seems like the most natural way to solve a problem, fighting does not come naturally to most people, which means that there are other, nonviolent ways to solve problems. Those that feel the need to suppress others do this because they think they are superior and more knowledgeable than those around them. They believe that their way of thinking is correct and thus, turn to war as a way to have others follow their ways. War is assumed to be the most natural answer when people are faced with a big dilemma. There is not one individual reason for the start of a war, though. There are many contributing factors because war, in other words, is too complex and collective an activity to be accounted for by a single warlike instinct lurking within the individual psyche (Ehrenreich 9). War can come about from many different issues, from disagreements on certain policies, to different religious views. One issue, though not the only contributing factor to the start of war, is the need for a group to show dominance. When two or more people have this same need to exert their

King 2 dominance, their ideas often clash. This leads to fighting between the multiple groups, and whichever group defeats the other group comes out on top as the most dominant. Somehow, it seems to some people that the only logical way to solve a dispute is through a war. It is a tactic that has been used for many years and will most likely continue to be used unless people can figure out a different, less violent way to handle tense situations. Still, going into battle is often peoples first thought when faced with disagreements, despite the fact that there are many people that do not believe this is the correct way to go about solving an issue. One reason that people who are opposed to fighting go into war is because of mutually assured destruction. When one group has the means to inflict devastation upon a second group, that second group must prepare itself for battle, even if it is against their beliefs. During war time, people completely become immersed in the buildup of going into battle. They take on an entirely different mentality that impels a man to leave his home, cut his hair short, and drill for hours in tight formation (Ehrenreich 9). This is because, in order for people who are against war to be willing to fight, they must completely change their outlook on violence. They go through a sort of ritual that allows them to become disconnected from their morals and makes them able to do something that they would normally be opposed to. When a group of people are preparing to go to war, they must go through a transformation so that they are prepared for battle. Because fighting is not many peoples first instinct, they must get into a sort of character so that they are more willing to go into combat. There is a discontinuity between the warrior and the ordinary human being (Ehrenreich 11). People from different cultures have different methods for transforming into warriors. These transformations are oftenhelped along with drugs or social pressure of various kinds (Ehrenreich 11). Although it may not be what they want, the people that are preparing to fight in a war must take on an

King 3 entirely different persona so that they have the ability to overcome morals and other reservations they may have about fighting. Although wars are sometimes successful at solving disputes, they come at a price. Many lives are lost in something that is supposed to help better a community. A community is something that is built on mutuality and the support of its members, but will easily give up one of their own in a time of war. This is why fighting to solve problems is not the best answer. During war time, it is almost as though people resort back to primal ways of life, in that they will fight to exert dominance rather than try to solve issues in a civilized fashion. It is not until lives are lost and homes are destroyed that people look back and question whether or not a war was the best way to solve the problem. When it is a group that begins to try to rise above everyone else, it is often easier for them to do so. The group mentality is entirely different than that of a single person trying to exert dominance over people. In a group, there is a mutual feeling of support because its members are surrounded by people who share the same or similar views. In that type of setting, in which everyone shares the same ideas, it is very easy for the members to convince themselves that what they are doing is right. It also instills confidence in the people because they are not the only ones acting on a certain idea. The phrase strength in numbers is an extremely relevant idea when it comes to a group trying to gain control over something. It allows the people involved to be more comfortable in their quest because they have so many others joining them. This makes going to war seem like a more logical idea, because with so many people on a side, people often convince themselves that they are much stronger than they are.

King 4 People get so caught up in the buildup to a war that they fail to realize that there are other means to solving a dispute rather than just jumping right into a violent battle. Many times, when an issue between two groups arises, the leaders of those two groups will go meet to try to discuss and solve the situation in a civilized manner. This usually has an optimistic outlook in the beginning, but once one side refuses to compromise on certain issues, everything changes. The two sides begin to disagree more and more and refuse to give in or compromise with the other side and things become tenser. This then usually leads to one side declaring war on the other side. They think that if they cannot solve something in a calm, civilized fashion, then the next best thing would be to go and attack the other group. Instead of jumping right into battle, the two sides should work much harder to resolve their issues without fighting. They could enlist the help of an outside, objective third party to help. This could prove to be very useful because the third party does not have a biased view of the situation, like the other two parties do. One reason that fighting often occurs is because the two groups fail to try to look at the problem from the other groups point of view. If one group were to just try and see things through the eyes of the other group, they might be able to see another root to the problem and find a more peaceful solution. This could immensely help solve the problem, possibly without ever going to war. Whatever the circumstance may be, going to war for a certain cause is a very logical solution to some people. It may be because many people have grown up hearing majestic war stories and seeing all the glory of the soldiers returning home from war. What they dont hear as often, though, are all of the stories about the downside of war. The huge cost, the enormous loss of life, the stress put on the families of the people involved in the war. If people would just put more effort into peacefully solving a problem, so much violence and loss of life could be

King 5 avoided. In theory, going to war to achieve a goal may seem like a good idea, but in reality, there are so many safer, easier, and more practical ways to show dominance or solve a problem.

Works Cited Ehrenreich, Barbara. Blood Rites: Origins and History of the Passions of War. New York: Metropolitan, 1997. Print