This struck me when I saw this in a shop the other day:
"There is no way to peace, peace is the way"
If only we could all remember that.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Where to begin?
I've actually forgotten most of the stuff I wanted to write about (see last post), but one thing I do remember from a month ago:
As part of my course, I often end up analysing or at least thinking about the basics of human nature, why we act how we do etc. Somehow I got thinking about territoriality, how it runs through our whole lives.
Starting from individual people - everyone has their own idea of personal space that generally they don't like being invaded. 'This much area around me is mine'. It's our own piece of territory that we carry around with us.
Next we can go to our homes. Inside our homes, most of us have our own bedroom that we make ours, or at least our own bed and space around it. The house itself has boundaries, that either stop at the front door if its an apartment, or extend to the garden or driveway for a house. If anyone intrudes into the building without our permission, we feel uneasy, even violated.
Beyond this, we have streets and neighbourhoods and villages and towns. While we may not defend them as fiercely (through practicallity maybe?), we consider them as our home turf, our shared territory. This even extends into north and south (when considering England anyway).
Even above this level though is the fiece protection of countries. The existence of countries at all shows how territorial we are. Countries after all, when it comes down to it, are just lines drawn on a map. These boundaries on the ground are patrolled and monitored...just incase someone we don't want tries to get in. Thousands of wars and battles have been fought over territory - the more territory you have, the more people and resources you have under your control, the more power you have.
Buzz Aldrin (and one of the 'Space Cadets' on channel 4's latest reality TV show) said that the earth looked so peaceful from space, it was hard to imagine any wars going on down there. I guess from space the continents just look like giant landmasses, all merging into one another or into the sea, with the view being interuppted by swirling clouds. I guess it all seems kind of pointless from up there, squabbling over who can and can't come into this bit of land, and who's patch of land it is.
Don't get me wrong, I think a degree of territorialism is neccessary - I am human after all, but I think perspective is needed sometimes.
I've actually forgotten most of the stuff I wanted to write about (see last post), but one thing I do remember from a month ago:
As part of my course, I often end up analysing or at least thinking about the basics of human nature, why we act how we do etc. Somehow I got thinking about territoriality, how it runs through our whole lives.
Starting from individual people - everyone has their own idea of personal space that generally they don't like being invaded. 'This much area around me is mine'. It's our own piece of territory that we carry around with us.
Next we can go to our homes. Inside our homes, most of us have our own bedroom that we make ours, or at least our own bed and space around it. The house itself has boundaries, that either stop at the front door if its an apartment, or extend to the garden or driveway for a house. If anyone intrudes into the building without our permission, we feel uneasy, even violated.
Beyond this, we have streets and neighbourhoods and villages and towns. While we may not defend them as fiercely (through practicallity maybe?), we consider them as our home turf, our shared territory. This even extends into north and south (when considering England anyway).
Even above this level though is the fiece protection of countries. The existence of countries at all shows how territorial we are. Countries after all, when it comes down to it, are just lines drawn on a map. These boundaries on the ground are patrolled and monitored...just incase someone we don't want tries to get in. Thousands of wars and battles have been fought over territory - the more territory you have, the more people and resources you have under your control, the more power you have.
Buzz Aldrin (and one of the 'Space Cadets' on channel 4's latest reality TV show) said that the earth looked so peaceful from space, it was hard to imagine any wars going on down there. I guess from space the continents just look like giant landmasses, all merging into one another or into the sea, with the view being interuppted by swirling clouds. I guess it all seems kind of pointless from up there, squabbling over who can and can't come into this bit of land, and who's patch of land it is.
Don't get me wrong, I think a degree of territorialism is neccessary - I am human after all, but I think perspective is needed sometimes.
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