Vatican And Dalai Lama Analysis

After the Second World War, it was found that approximately 50 million civilians became victims of war, a number that far exceeds the combined total of the soldiers killed and wounded [1]. It was the first time in the Modern Era where civilians became the major target for military action, resulting to the devastating casualty ratio. Indeed, other wars have seen significant civilian deaths, especially the First World War and the Mexican-American War, but most of those deaths were indirectly from diseases and starvation as a result of foreign exposures and blockades. Despite the establishment of the United Nations, the Cold War has morally placed us even further back, with two powerful civilizations with enough military might to literally wipe …show more content…
Indeed, the Vatican’s stance on progressive peace gives rise to inquiries on the origins of conflict, yet the most common causes stated from the Vatican targets the lower economic classes [2]. In very rare cases is this true, but from what we’ve seen in history, the most memorable disputes are from unsatisfied middle and upper classes. According to Eric Greitens in his award-winning The Heart and the Fist, the greatest threat to a civilization’s political authority are the socioeconomic classes that are fortunate enough to contemplate the issues confined in the government [5]. Most lower-end economic classes are usually too concerned about their survival rather than the complexity of politics. Also, this further puts them at a disadvantage academically to comprehend these issues. Therefore, the Dalai Lama’s proclamation on the importance of culture fills in this gap, something that may very well mitigate the issues that initiate conflict. With the reduction of violence acceptance, the danger of political unrest could no longer exist. In the Dalai Lama’s ideal world, the universal principle of warfare would both undermine the need for a vast military and protect citizens from military drafts. The draft comes from the emphasized well-being of the individual and their relations to others as a means of preserving lives. Thus, in addition to the Vatican’s notions, the protection from the draft is provided with the option to participate in a fixed duration of community service, thereby limiting the need for a military to defend. Although this seems fortunate, in reality, humans are fallible and the chances for this system to work is disturbingly low. Of course, every nation requires some form of common defense, but other nations that are not inclined to