Those taking part in protest demonstrations sometimes carry placards displaying the words, "Make peace, not war!" It would be difficult to fault the idealism and concern that motivates such slogans, but human warfare is a complex problem that cannot be solved by public demonstrations or well-meaning slogans alone.
All persons with decent instincts want to see an end to war. But it is futile to try to banish all fighting on an international scale if it still goes on between individuals within nations. We must stop our little private wars within families or churches, with neighbors or co-workers, before we ever can hope to see bloodshed disappear once and for all. Justice and compassion must permeate the thought of mankind if warfare is to disappear from the earth.
The basic trouble is a misconception of man's real nature. Biology describes him as a member of the animal kingdom, and psychology says he is an aggressive animal whose natural instincts program him toward combat. Thus warfare seems inevitable, indeed a law of nature itself.
