Why We Can No Longer Go to War

I was going to make this a long treatise on evolution, neurochemistry, the internet the media, and so on.

I won’t. 

I will make this simple.  This is not a scientific paper for publication.  It is just my blog.  I don’t have to give a zillion references! 

But, I have to ask the question regarding why are we having such an increase in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?  Examples of likely labels for the clinical expressions of many forms of PTSD for those coming back from wars include the Gulf War Syndrome, battle fatigue, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and all sorts of chronic pain syndromes.  Many of these cases arise without any clear personal physical injury to the individual. 

For more nuances see these entries:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_stress_reaction

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-traumatic_stress_disorder

We are spending billions to patch up these brave individuals both physically and mentally. 

Further, suicide for members of the military, after they come back, is on the rise as well. 

But, even without physical injury, can we go to war without incurring psychological or spiritual injury?

There may be some psychological protection when we go to war against a clearly “Evil Regime,” those with people who torture and kill innocents.  But, there is still the injury that occurs from seeing your comrades in arms maimed and killed. 

If you are a psychopath, you probably are fine killing people, and maybe even seeing your buddies die. 

http://www.wisdomofpsychopaths.com

Most of us are not psychopaths.  Although, the military does try to train us in that direction. 

It is probably also easier to kill, “The Other.”  If you do not consider the enemy to be human, then they are, perhaps, more likely to seem like fair game to kill. 

The problem with going to war arises when our society becomes more evolved.  This is a reflection of the individuals in our society becoming on average more highly evolved. 

Remember with higher evolution, more people are considered to be part of your family.  With the rise in communication by using the internet and television, we know so much more about the whole world, and about people we may have formerly thought of as “The Other.”    

Additionally, when you spend time in a country, there is more opportunity to interact with the civilians and children that live there, this allows you to see that they are as human as you are. 

Further evidence that we are becoming a more evolved society is the acceptance of LGBT individuals, even by the Republican Party. 

http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/03/18/slowly_surely_republicans_bail_on_the_gay_marriage_wars.html

When you kill members of your family, or when you see your family member hurt or killed, that is a severe psychological and spiritual injury (perhaps read “spiritual” as how you find meaning in life). 

Only the psychopaths are safe. 

Interestingly, even those involved in the drone wars, where you no longer see someone die right in front of you, and you don’t see your comrades killed, these drone operators are still prone to psychological injury. 

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/06/drone-pilot-ptsd/

My thesis is simple: We can no longer go to war because we have already evolved too far.  We cannot go to war without paying too huge a price of damage to our emotional and spiritual brain-bodies. 

Can there even be a “just war” anymore, war against a clearly “Evil Regime?”  How do you define this? 

Once again, perhaps a much too difficult question to give any definitive answer here right now. 

But, think deeply, and consider very carefully, before you commit your children to any war.