Assignment 12 Q.3 - On 201, Gene reflects on his thoughts on war and says “…it seemed clear that wars were not made by generations and their special stupidities, but that wars were made instead by something ignorant in the human heart” (201). Do you agree with this sentiment? Why or why not? (PHOEBE)

Wars are made by two sides not being able to come to a solution and believing that people dying for each other's thoughts will settle the conflict. However unless it is a war over territory, wars are not won by body count. It is impossible to 'win' a war. In the end, one side is either captured completely or they surrender. Yet in the end, they all end the same way: talking. When Gene says  “…it seemed clear that wars were not made by generations and their special stupidities, but that wars were made instead by something ignorant in the human heart” (Knowles 201) he is saying that wars are made by people being unwilling and not realizing the value of other human lives. Being ignorant means "lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated or unsophisticated" (dictionary.com). Any leader of a country who chooses war over a peace treaty is simply ignoring the fact that people will die just to prove their point and being ignorant. The leader is not only going to be killing people who oppose their views but that they are willing to kill their own people. If someone believes that much in their own cause, then they should be trying everything they can to come about this end goal in the most civilized and effective way possible. I agree with this statement completely. Wars are unscary. The President of the United States has the power to declare war but the true people who are fighting in it, who are drafted into it, and who are losing their lives over it are not deciding whether or not to kill someone. Although many people may choose to enlist in times of global warfare, it is not always because they choose to, like in Leper's case, they dont want to wait for it to happen. Modern politics not only in the US have so much pride involved in them. I believe that if leader's of countries spent more time talking about the actual issue instead of dropping bombs on one another, more actions could be done with fewer lives being lost. Fighting for peace is like closing your eyes to see. It is an action that is so contradictory to the end goal, that when put down into simplest terms is ridiculous.