Thoughtful Thursday - What's Our Business?

I've been thinking about war a lot lately.

It's a common precept that Western countries go across the world to fight battles in order to change another country's government. The idea there being that the only way for people to want to stay in their country is if the living conditions improve.

But should we be doing this? Does anyone even ask themselves this or do they simply believe their country's government is better and therefore that is what all other countries should have in place?

Is it not extremely vain to think Eastern countries should have a more Western style government?

People say they're doing it to make the world a better place. But are they actually doing this so we make the whole world more Western? If so, is it so we understand them better?

Are we doing it to seize power?

Western countries developed their governments, in part, through having their own civil wars. In Canada, we had uprisings in Ontario and Quebec before they were named as such. I think most people are well aware of the American Civil War.

But then I think that if most saw their neighbour beating his wife, they'd do something about it. That would either be stepping in or reporting it to the authorities. But unless the authorities catch him doing it and the wife wants to press charges, the police can only do so much about the situation until she's ready to make it stop.

So is it better then to let the people of these war torn countries rise up and create their own governments?

I don't know what the answer is, but I think it's important to think about these things.

I'm generally in favour in only helping when asked. Situations of this type are way more complex than most of us can imagine, in my opinion.  I mean, it's hard to understand my classmates sometimes, so how can I think I know what's best for an entire country's worth of people?

And that's how it flows today.
R~