Erasmus, a monk writing on war in the sixteenth century, ironically asked, “Whoever heard of a hundred thousand animals rushing together to butcher each other, as men do everywhere?” As I read over this question, I began to ponder the pretentious thinking of humans. We are quick to demean others by a degrading comparison to the lower animals (e.g. you are dumb as an ox, dirty like a pig, or better yet we can all remember our parents yelling at us to stop acting like a monkey or baboon). Yet only in science fiction books or movies do these animals ever have the ability to engage in the type of mass murder carried out regularly by humans during war.

These “less intelligent” animals do not have the capacity to destroy the earth many times over with nuclear weapons (as if once were not enough) or systematically engage in other forms of mass annihilation. We are quick to put our intellect, our wisdom, and more generally ourselves on a higher level than these animals, but I am beginning to question the validity of this assertion. Of course our science and technology put us on a higher level than these “dumb” animals, but the uses to which we have put this vast knowledge make me reconsider this apparently obvious conclusion. When we use our intelligence and ingenuity in modern warfare to destroy other human beings almost indiscriminately, I do not think we should feel easy about placing ourselves on this higher ground. The destruction of humankind appears on the horizon with weapons of mass destruction, yet we continue to have an unshakable belief in our unparalleled development of the modern world.

There is no denying humans have great potential, but I am saddened at our inability to deal with conflict in a constructive and meaningful way. How, with all of our advancement and ingenuity, are we trapped with violence, murder, and war as the only means to solve our differences? It appears mutual cooperation and understanding should increase just as our science and technology continue to improve.

When we are 5 years old, the only way we can begin to conceptualize dealing with a crisis is to use violence. Your brother stole your favorite He-man figurine, and in retaliation you punch him. While I do not condone violence between children, I find it more understandable than in adults, as children do not have the mental capacity to talk through their situation. However, as we evolve and mature, it appears that little changes in the way we deal with conflict. Einstein, seeming to understand this beautifully, asserted, “With the splitting of the atom everything has changed except our way of thinking.”

It is time to awake from the illusion of “reality” we have created. As I see it, there are two options. The first option involves embracing our higher wisdom and thus using our intellect for moral purposes to avoid the maiming, slaughter, and brutal killing involved in any war. We, as humans, have been given the potential capacity to deal with conflict in a constructive way and I believe it is our duty to employ this tool. However, if we choose to continue with violence and warfare, we should reconsider placing ourselves on a higher pedestal than other animals; in fact, I suspect there might even be a current opening available below them. If this is the course we choose, we should not be allowed to praise our superior intellect and wisdom because of the way we are endangering the entire human race and, just as importantly, the “lower” animals of this earth.

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