The Impact of War on

Society
Due to the negative effects of war on the economy, politics, and social
spheres, many nations have always preferred peace. Many countries have
gone to war in the past and developed weapons like man-made satellites,
atomic bombs, and guns to scare away their adversaries. The impact,
however, was massive, with many reported casualties and radioactive wastes
that impacted all countries involved. Lao Tzu wrote the Tao Te Ching in the
sixth century BCE. The text discusses the natural order of things in the
universe, the interaction of opposing forces, and other fundamental viewpoints
in Taoism. A significant concept that the philosopher addresses is warfare in
which he condemns the use of military unless there is necessity. It is evident
that leaders should avoid the use of warfare when in power to avoid the
detrimental effects.

A significant excerpt from Tao Te Ching that address the effect of war is
chapter 31: “Good weapons are instruments of fear; all creatures hate them. /
Therefore followers of the Tao never used them. / The wise man prefers the
left. / The man of war prefers the right. / Weapons are instruments of fear;
they are not a wise man’s tools. / He uses them only when he has no choice…
/ If you rejoice in victory, then you delight in killing; / If you delight in killing,
you cannot fulfill yourself” (Tzu Chap. 31). Lao Tzu explains the weapons
used in warfare are instruments that are feared by everyone and those who
are righteous (followers of Tao) avoid using them. Individuals who have
wisdom and recognize the need to life are expected to hate weapons since
they lead to life destruction. It is also further clear from the excerpt that a
nation should only uses these tools when there is necessity, but still should
not rejoice if it achieves victory.
In consideration of the excerpt, should countries like Russia be permitted to
make dangerous weapons such as missiles and bombs? Lao Tzu believes
that a strong military may be an important tool for state relations, but
conducting warfare should be the last resort in resolving conflicts. Although
“zero tolerance” to weapons may seem absurd as this would render many
states in danger of attack due to lack of defense, it is important that the
generation of weapons are contained and restricted to avoid any possible
misuse. Terrorists have always used weapons like guns and bombs to injure
innocent citizens, as in the case of the September 11th attack in America.
Thus, it is important to prohibit the further creation of weapons as states make
efforts to preserve the already-existing tools for any future defense.

Nations can expand the notion of Tao Te Ching beyond the nature of either
winning or losing into an interdependent and creative nature of conduct. All
states should respect their neighbors and pardon those who persecute them.
Morality, as considered by Lao Tzu is the creation of life for most individuals
even in the societies where justice is elusive. By acknowledging and
appreciating diversity, few states will resolve their differences by use of war. It
is important to adopt other conflict resolution measures such as negotiation in
order to prevent loss of lives and property.

Work Cited

Tzu, Lao. “Tao Te Ching, trans.” Ch’u Ta-Kao (1997).