I hate essays

[dkgojackets]

So my English teacher is making me write a 600 word essay (not long at all) for some contest. The ultra-stupid topic is "Creating a Culture of Peace". I could not think of anything lamer.

Any ideas? BS the thing?

[The GIGGAS]

Re: I hate essays

You could propose that the concept of utter peace is not a realistic ideal in society. There really cannot be peace, because there will always be some kind of conflict which ruptures peace.

I hope that made some kind of sense.

[SPTO]

Re: I hate essays

You could always BS about how multi-lateralism is the key to creating peace. One nation should not trump all others. If nations work together within the framework of peace and understanding then you wouldn't see so many problems. That would of course require nations having to make concessions readily as long as other nations do as well.

[Herbsinator]

Re: I hate essays

Have fun in college if you don't like writing...

[bad_philanthropy]

Re: I hate essays

I'd go with the unrealistic thing. In fact I'd argue that without conflict we would accelerate the end of humanity. There are so many innate characteristics within the human mind that to create peace we would have to eliminate the instinctual ways that we know how to survive. It's that which leads to competition. We have not reached a point in the existence of our species where the elimination of competition is a good thing. Perhaps if we can someday transcend need, space, the threat of disease, and genetic damage, then we can truly eliminate any sort of effectual conflict.

[theaub]

Re: I hate essays

Or, in shorter terms: A utopian society is impossible because of basic human nature. Then expand on it.

[Jimplication]

Re: I hate essays

If you want a unique entry, you could write an essay that argues creating a culture of peace would rely heavily on removing religion from culture, and our lives. You could cite the various conflicts, past and present, and how religious disagreements served as their foundation.

Or you could write a half assed whitebread entry about a culture of peace being created through the acceptance of different cultures' beliefs and practices, even if there is disagreement in regards to such differences.

This seems to be a pretty easy topic IMO. Wars, conflicts, and general strife were present all throughout the history of humans, so just pick a few and present a case for something that would have prevented the said conflicts.

[SPTO]

Re: I hate essays

If you want a unique entry, you could write an essay that argues creating a culture of peace would rely heavily on removing religion from culture, and our lives. You could cite the various conflicts, past and present, and how religious disagreements served as their foundation.

You could also use the Star Trek philosophy as a prime example of a society with no real discernable religious viewpoint. Sure it's fictional but a society of peace is what ST is founded upon.

[CMH]

Re: I hate essays

If the essay can wait till you play Bioshock then I say go with that story.

[dkgojackets]

Re: I hate essays

I think I'll go with saying it is unrealistic. theaub gave me a nice thesis to work with.

If I win (yeah right) I'll be sure to donate (some of) the money to OS

[Brankles]

Re: I hate essays

Well, if you're not good at writing, Georgia Tech is the school to go to. My buddy goes there, and they don't do a single thing English related.

I like theaub's idea as well. You can write about that for a while, especially once you get started.

[JohnnytheSkin]

Re: I hate essays

Hey dk, who's the jitterbug in your avatar?

[dkgojackets]

Re: I hate essays

Well, if you're not good at writing, Georgia Tech is the school to go to. My buddy goes there, and they don't do a single thing English related.

I like theaub's idea as well. You can write about that for a while, especially once you get started.

Thats what Im looking for. Im probably gonna do that, I can write 600 pessimistic words. Not what they're looking for, but within the prompt and unique.

[dkgojackets]

Re: I hate essays

Thoughts? It won't win (will they let me read this at the International Peace Day Convention?), but Im happy to get the completion grade and spark some thought.

World Peace: Unrealistic and Undesirable

During the interview portion of any beauty pageant in the country, woman after woman will claim to want nothing more than “world peace,” or some variation of this utopia. As pleasant as this may sound, some critical thinking needs to be done on the means and effects of creating this completely peaceful society. A total peace would mean no conflict between humans. This seems simple and desirable, yet by definition the causes of conflict would be eliminated. Conflict is caused by competition, an innate character trait any animal needs to survive. If two people are in a room with enough food to feed one, basic Darwinism kicks in. Furthermore, by creating this peaceful world, one would be sacrificing the freedom of opinion. At its core, any conflict is a result in a difference of opinion. Creating a culture of peace would involve shredding current human nature, removing our system of democracy and creating one world government (no disagreements between nations then), the end of organized religion (how many wars have started because of this?), and the sacrifice of current individual liberties for the sake of the “greater good.”
There are things in this world that every human needs, namely food, water, and land. There are also things that people simply want, such as precious metals, advanced technologies, and basically nicer things than the Jones’s across the street. These fundamental concepts span centuries of human history. Unfortunately, there is not enough to go around. The world is overpopulated. In creating this culture of peace, there would, ideally, be no competition for food since everyone has plenty. To achieve this, people would have to sacrifice the amount of food and other luxuries that they currently have, thus losing their freedom to have the amount of food that they desire, as well as other “wants.” The other scenario would involve a positive check on population. This seems highly unlikely to be agreed upon, for obvious reasons. The problem would stay, then, that some people have more than others. Those with less will want more. This causes conflict, and nothing can be done to alter this facet of human nature.
Looking at the big picture, what most people want to eliminate in our world are wars, or the epitome of intense conflict. When a nation feels like another nation stands in the way of its interests to a certain extent, it is time to go to war. It is one government disapproving of the actions of another government and feeling threatened. With world peace, this would not be an issue. So there is either an agreement among all nations not to fight (what happens if this is violated?) or one big government controlling everything. And it would all have to be one party, since Americans can see first hand what type of internal conflict can be caused with multiple parties. Add to this the great number of wars that have been started by religious differences. Difference in belief leads to disagreement, which leads to conflict, which cannot happen under this “culture of peace.” There is no argument that one should just “accept” differences in beliefs. For one to believe something, they must think it to be true. By definition, this means the beliefs of others are false. Hence the cause of conflict.
So, to achieve this “world peace,” everyone would have to be equal (therefore no jealousy) and live without competition. There would be only one government with one party. There would be no freedom, since it’s the freedom of choice that disrupts the peace. Haven’t the Soviets tried this already?