5 ms·

I think the author's point could be broadened to just say, if you want peace, study the historical reasons for conflicts and how to avoid them. Or even more br

I think the author's point could be broadened to just say, if you want peace, study the historical reasons for conflicts and how to avoid them. Or even more broadly, if you want peace, study history and make it an important part of your decision making process.

chmod600 6y ago
> if you want peace, study the historical reasons for conflicts and how to avoid them I've always heard: if you want peace, prepare for war
- skinkestek 6y ago
  My father would drill that into me as a kid. That and the fact that war is not like in books or movies: it is ugly and best avoided.
  - Uberphallus 6y ago
    Also interesting how that's the approach of Krav Maga as martial art. The 1st rule is, run if you can. The 2nd rule is, finish the fight ASAP and run. The rest derives from those two rules.
    - im3w1l 6y ago
      With such a motto, you'd expect them to practice sprinting a lot, but curiously, I've never seen that happen!
      - Uberphallus 6y ago
        Well, you can see the first rule as "try not to use what you learn". Can't speak for all instructors, but mine went directly to technique for those who ran/cycled to the gym and stretched before the class, letting the rest warm up in the meantime... running. Also most demonstrations you can see on the Internet always end with running and most comments make fun of that, so it's certainly included in the practice.
        im3w1l 6y ago
        I stand corrected
    - drummojg 6y ago
      I was taught the same through Shotokan Karate. The credo spoken at every training (called "Dojo Kun") starts with "Seek perfection of character" and ends with "Refrain from violent behavior."
- tomalpha 6y ago
  From the classic Latin “Si vis pacem para bellum” [0] I’d always interpreted this to imply that deterrence was good - appear strong to prevent others picking a fight with you, rather than studying. I always wondered if the 9mm Parabellum cartridge was named after the saying too, but no such enlightenment is available on the Wikipedia page at least [1] [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Si_vis_pacem,_para_bellum https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Si_vis_pacem,_para_bellum [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/9×19mm_Parabellum https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/9×19mm_Parabellum
  - heja2009 6y ago
    Yes, it is derived from the saying. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parabellumpistole https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parabellumpistole
  - cosmodisk 6y ago
    While it's true even today,I think at the time it was heavily related to the fact that most countries usually had to raise money and hire majority of soldiers when facing/declaring war rather then keeping them on payroll permanently. So if an enemy is banging at the gate, it's a bit too late to start sending message around 'we are hiring'.
- stareatgoats 6y ago
  > I've always heard: if you want peace, prepare for war Yes, this is conventional wisdom. But it's time to give it up and try something new before someone accidentally annihilates the world as we know it. Studying history is not a bad start.

chmod600 6y ago

> if you want peace, study the historical reasons for conflicts and how to avoid them I've always heard: if you want peace, prepare for war

skinkestek 6y ago
My father would drill that into me as a kid. That and the fact that war is not like in books or movies: it is ugly and best avoided.
- Uberphallus 6y ago
  Also interesting how that's the approach of Krav Maga as martial art. The 1st rule is, run if you can. The 2nd rule is, finish the fight ASAP and run. The rest derives from those two rules.
  - im3w1l 6y ago
    With such a motto, you'd expect them to practice sprinting a lot, but curiously, I've never seen that happen!
    - Uberphallus 6y ago
      Well, you can see the first rule as "try not to use what you learn". Can't speak for all instructors, but mine went directly to technique for those who ran/cycled to the gym and stretched before the class, letting the rest warm up in the meantime... running. Also most demonstrations you can see on the Internet always end with running and most comments make fun of that, so it's certainly included in the practice.
      - im3w1l 6y ago
        I stand corrected
  - drummojg 6y ago
    I was taught the same through Shotokan Karate. The credo spoken at every training (called "Dojo Kun") starts with "Seek perfection of character" and ends with "Refrain from violent behavior."
tomalpha 6y ago
From the classic Latin “Si vis pacem para bellum” [0] I’d always interpreted this to imply that deterrence was good - appear strong to prevent others picking a fight with you, rather than studying. I always wondered if the 9mm Parabellum cartridge was named after the saying too, but no such enlightenment is available on the Wikipedia page at least [1] [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Si_vis_pacem,_para_bellum https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Si_vis_pacem,_para_bellum [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/9×19mm_Parabellum https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/9×19mm_Parabellum
- heja2009 6y ago
  Yes, it is derived from the saying. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parabellumpistole https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parabellumpistole
- cosmodisk 6y ago
  While it's true even today,I think at the time it was heavily related to the fact that most countries usually had to raise money and hire majority of soldiers when facing/declaring war rather then keeping them on payroll permanently. So if an enemy is banging at the gate, it's a bit too late to start sending message around 'we are hiring'.
stareatgoats 6y ago
> I've always heard: if you want peace, prepare for war Yes, this is conventional wisdom. But it's time to give it up and try something new before someone accidentally annihilates the world as we know it. Studying history is not a bad start.