Assignment #9 - Irene Kim - Imagine

In a perfect world, there would be no need for war. Any time a problem arises, whether it be a squabble between two siblings or a nuclear missile threat between nations, both parties would simply sit down for a cup of tea and talk out their problems. As an elementary and middle schooler growing up in a family that dubbed the word "hate" a curse word and avoided political conversations at all costs, high school came as a rude awakening to what was actually going on in the world. Before then, I had no doubt in my mind that everyone had the potential to lead a fulfilling life, that there was no reason for conflict or for war. That being said, I had very minimal knowledge of the complexities of politics and world affairs.

Still now, after having taken social studies classes and watching the news little by little, I hold on to this mediating notion. This is why John Lennon's "Imagine" was one of my favorite songs early in high school, which describes a world with no conflict, no division, no reason for war. However, upon discussing the lyrics with my classmates, they told me it was actually a song about "communism," advocating a world of utter uniformity and equality. This reminded me of a book I had read in elementary school called The Giver, in which all of the characters can only see in black-and-white, all jobs are pre-decided, and all memories of pain and conflict are erased from the members of the society--that is, except for the Giver. The Giver, on behalf of the rest of the society, retains all of the bad aspects of life--memories of pain, war, and hurt--but also experiences the beauty, diversity, and emotions associated with life. The rest of the society, in short, lives a completely uniform, bland, supposedly "utopian" life created by the government, when in reality, they have created a dystopian society. The message of the book is that while life is full of pain and conflict, it is unavoidable because of how diverse it is--and that is a beautiful thing. Because the world is so full of diversity, of varying needs that have to be fulfilled, it is impossible to avoid conflict and meet the demands of everyone.

That being said, that is no cause for war. Oftentimes, conflict is incited by rash, immediate decision-making. I firmly believe that there is always a third option when resolving conflicts. Particularly when it comes to politics, nothing is black-and-white--each side has a story, a need to fulfill and a cause to support. By putting in the effort to compromise, or at least to find a more organized approach than all-out war, that third option can be fulfilled. To say that war is never appropriate, however, is a large generalization; if a nation comes under direct attack or sees no other fit alternative, they have to draw the line somewhere. And again, because the world is so full of diverse needs, there will always be some form of conflict. However, in any case, war should come as a last resort.