DEADLY AND DEVASTATING WARS CAN BE AVOIDED WITH ABOLITION OF ARMED FORCES AND ARMED FACTORIES

In this article, I revisit the very nature of war and the reckless role that armed forces play in their deadly aftermath, whether in the name of offence or defence.

War turns human beings into operators of destruction. Behind the machines are people who, in the heat of battle, kill fellow human beings they have never met and never hated. To do so, they must first bury their conscience long before the dead are buried.

A building alive with families just moments earlier, old people resting, children playing, toddlers clinging to their mothers, suddenly collapses under bombs and missiles. Those who run for safety often die in the rubble that becomes their cemetery. Survivors emerge wounded, displaced, and homeless. Within minutes, the brutal machinery of war creates suffering that lingers for decades.

Modern wars are even more terrifying. They are more destructive, unimaginably expensive, and profoundly damaging to the environment. Entire cities are flattened, landscapes poisoned, and generations traumatized.

Amid the deafening roar of artillery and missiles, even birds seek shelter in the broken corners of bombed buildings, instinctively hiding from the man-made thunder in the skies above.

The scenes we watch helplessly on television are like a tragic theatre of catastrophe, advanced technology, sophisticated weaponry, and military spectacle performed in the name of heroism. Yet beneath the rhetoric of glory lies a simple and brutal truth: war is organized human destruction.

Its consequences are far more severe than the political objectives it claims to achieve, whether labelled self-defence, national pride, or a “just cause.”

Leaders talk endlessly, talk and talk and talk, but when distrust dominates their thinking, negotiations fail. War then becomes the default choice, not because it is wise, but because faith in human reason collapses.

Humanity continues to suffer as nations step into senseless battles, hoping war will eventually bring peace. History repeatedly shows that it does not.

It is often argued that “war becomes necessary when every other option has failed.” But this statement itself challenges our intelligence. If war destroys lives, societies, and the planet, can it ever truly be called an “option”?

Wars are crimes against humanity. The tradition of war has robbed humanity of its peace and security for centuries.

In an age when we proudly celebrate our knowledge, science, and technological achievements, it is a moral contradiction that we still maintain institutions whose sole purpose is organized destruction.

If humanity is serious about peace, the logical step is clear: nations must begin dismantling the structures that enable war.

This means dissolving armed forces so that no young man or woman is trained for a profession whose ultimate function is killing. It also means shutting down the global network of factories that manufacture weapons designed for mass death and devastation.

The international arms industry, worth trillions of dollars, fuels conflict worldwide. With profit as its primary motive, it sells weapons to all sides, aggressor and victim alike. Its collapse would undoubtedly shake global economics, but it may also save humanity and the environment from unimaginable catastrophe.

The idea of a world without armies and war industries may sound radical, but it is neither entirely new nor purely utopian.

Several nations have already chosen a different path. Countries such as Costa Rica, which abolished its military in 1948, have shown that national security can be maintained without standing armies. Others maintain minimal militarization while investing more heavily in diplomacy, education, and social stability.

These nations offer an important reminder: security does not always come from weapons; it can also come from wisdom.

Perhaps the time has come for humanity to think beyond the logic of war.

Let us imagine a world where the enormous wealth spent on weapons is invested instead in education, health, environmental protection, and human welfare.

Let us do it for peace—for ourselves, for future generations, and for the fragile planet we all share.

—Promod Puri