Natural State of Being

"If I had to simplify it I would say that the natural state of human nature is conflict"

After getting into a heated conversation about the natural state of human beings and the negative impact the evolution of technology and warfare has had on society, that is the statement my father made.

My agruement was that the way we live our lives in this day and age is so complex with its technologies that are slowly destroying the planet and cutting out human contact. Not that I will make much of a difference or change the way I was destined to go about living in society, but there are some things to take into consideration when looking at the impact of modern evolution.
His arguement was that my arguement was a bunch of bullshit for lack of a bette term. He beleives that as long as you do the little things for the environement that are expected of you like; using flourescent ligt bulbs, car pooling, shuting off lights when you arent in the room, unplugging things when they are not in use, and conserving water by taking shorter showers etc. is all that really needs to be done as far as helping the planet. And well there is no real proof of global warming, but we should take steps in reducing our carbon foot print. And as far as technology goes, well that is what gave us the hybrid and electronic cars, it gave us solar powered panels for energy conservation and much more, which is a benifit to our planet. He beleives that as long as we are aware and do our part that is all that is neccisary and would being closer to nature and pumping our water and living off the land really make us better human beings.

Basically his arguements always trumps mine, and he makes a good point. Later on in the discussion we got into the advance in warfare technology. I say if we didnt have it there would be less destruction. He says we need it for self defence and protection and that there would be destruction either way, because "the natural state of a human being is in conflict" and just because we dont live as close to nature as people from other parts of the world does not mean that we are doing anything wrong and it doesnt mean we arent good people. The more I thought about this concept the more I agreed with it.

Becuase there are tribes in africa and small societies in mongolia and indonesia that are close to nature and dont have the technology we do who simply live off the land, but lets just look at the facts. The slums of Nigeria and Kenya are where some of the most brutal violence takes place, large amounts of killing and rape take place everyday. But their government system and police force are so poor and uninvolved that litte is done to stop it. Yet they are "closer to nature".
So I may live a fortunate life with cell phones and facebook (which i dont have) and cars and running water and electricity etc. that is not as close to nature as more secluded tribes and peoples, but I dont lead a life of violence and I dont have to see it take place around me.

And as far as conflict goes, I think that this concept could not be more true. Just looking at the world around me I see people who find flaw in others, I see irritated people who are frustrated with their lives and the people around them, and I see hate. And the most ironic thing about it all is that if we all just took a second to think about how this applies to us and how if we just all stop being negative and find the good in situations and in others we may feel less irritated, we might accept the flaws in others and there would be no hate.

Today is 9/11 and today we remember those who lost their lives due to hate, violence, and distruction. Today we should think about the same negativity that we have in our own lives and come one step closer in changing and making a difference in the world around us. After all we dont need another reminder of what negativity can do not just to a single person but a nation of people.