Will War Ever End?: A Soldier's Vision of Peace for the 21st Century

by Paul K. Chappell, Dave Grossman com (Foreword)

"There is cause to hope, and believe, that there can be an end to war." --Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, U.S. Army (ret.) Once in a great while, a book is written that substantially changes the way people think about a particular subject. Will War Ever End? is such a book. Written as a "manifesto for waging peace" by an active duty captain in the U.S. Army, Will War Ever End? challenges readers to think about peace, war and violence in radically new ways. "Are human beings naturally violent?" "What is hatred?" "How can love overcome the power of hatred?" "How does nonviolence overcome the power of violence?" "How can we prove that unconditional love makes us psychologically healthy and that hatred, just like an illness, occurs when something has gone wrong?" "How does violence against the natural world relate to violence between human beings?" These are all questions that Captain Paul K. Chappell leads us to consider in a strikingly new way. In Will War Ever End?, Chappell demonstrates that human beings are naturally peaceful and that world peace can become more than a cliché. He lays out a practical framework for transforming the way we think about war and violence, enabling us to begin the real work we must do in order to achieve true peace for mankind. Will War Ever End? is a deeply personal story of a soldier's search for human understanding that will lead to universal transformation. Its message is one of hope, offering practical solutions to help us build a better world. We can all make change. Now is the time to begin.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Philosophy

84 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2009

Reviews

[H. T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short book with a powerful message: wage peace instead of war. Strive to be a Gandhi or MLk Jr. and take a stand on issues that better humanity through a nonviolent means. Violent means don’t often lead to peaceful ends.

[Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

This tiny book makes the case that violence is not a part of human nature. Defection is a huge problem for militaries, and despite how heavily soldiers are conditioned to kill, it is still extremely difficult for them to bring themselves to do so. The traumatic psychological effects on the soldiers after a war also indicate that what they do in war is against their instincts. In the dilemma between fight and flight, our instinct is flight. The only exception is when those we care about are in danger, which indicates that it's actually love and compassion that is human nature. In fact, it makes an interesting point, that most medals given to soldiers are not for acts of killing, but for acts of compassion. The military uses our instincts for love to incentivize soldiers to kill.

Being only 96 pages, this book cannot be a thorough treatment of why humans wage war on each other. One of the best such books I've read is The Lucifer Effect, which is much longer. Even with that book, one must also include a discussion of subjects such as economics and gender. An interesting case study would be the Army and Marines television ads. What messages do they explicitly or implicitly send prospective soldiers? That alone speaks volumes about why people go to war.

But if you're looking for a quick read to persuade you or someone else that peace really is possible, and that war is not part of human nature as is commonly believed, this book is excellent.

[Eric G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometime the most simple and prosaic texts can be the most inspiring. In defining usually esoteric terminology and also providing lucid evidence, Chappell presents a strong and cohesive argument throughout this building text. It is a quick read but a necessary one. I had the pleasure of meeting Paul and hearing him speak at the Peace Abbey in Sherborn, Massachusetts. The reason why I mention this, is because after meeting such a humble and gentle person, it makes sense that he would have written such a text. He is both logical and consistent in a manner reminiscent of Howard Zinn or Noam Chomsky. By grounding ideas in the sky next to tangible, pragmatic questions, Paul writes what I would argue is one of the most exciting texts about peace I have read in long time. I recommend this to all who care for social justice, peace, and the future of ending war.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this book on the shelves at my library with one genre book challenge yet to fulfill- and only a few hours left to read it: a socio/ political book. This is that, but more it is philosophy and a bit of a collection of quotes on the immorality and wrongness of war.

“My experiences (as a part African American, part Asian) child in Alabama, a student at West Point, and a soldier in Baghdad have caused my obsession with war to grow into my hope that, together, we can wage peace and end war in the twenty-first century. In these pages we have taken a first step on the journey by expressing a new vision of peace and human nature. This vision explains why humans are not naturally violent, war is not inevitable, and how peace is not just a destination, but a road that we must walk if we are going to overcome the challenges that threaten us today.” page 58

[Christopher Obert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will War Ever End is a short, quick book (I read it in one night) on war and the human condition. I found that I have to agree that we are capable of war like and peaceful emotions and that the peaceful side of us needs to be nurtured and embraced. I agree with Paul’s assessment that the human race is by nature peaceful but turn war like when something is out of balance. I also found Paul’s definition of “fury” and “rage” to be very illuminating. The book is short and easy to read, and is focused on a peaceful world, so there is no reason that you should not go out and read it! This small step could be the start of a better world.

[Sven · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book that makes one think about war and the motivation that governments use to force soldiers to fight. This is full of hope, but light on concrete actions to take for preventing wars.

[Jon Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

U.S. Army Capt. and West Point scholar, Paul K. Chappell had compelling reasons for his in-depth study of human nature. He was determined to find the reasons why his father, a retired military career officer, was normally a kind and caring parent, but at times became very violent toward him and his mother.

His studies continued while he was at West Point, where he also discovered the military views of war that were so important in his research. He found that although military people are the least inclined to want to engage in the horrors of war, the training of combat troops included methods for making "the enemy" less than human and other ways of justifying killing.

This unique, timely, critically important, book and his latest one, "The End of War" The End of War: How waging peace can save humanity, our planet and our future need to be read by as many of us as possible. They deserve broad exposure and promotion. They have received testimonials from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and many best-selling authors.

I highly recommend them to anyone who has ever asked, "What can one little person like me, do to help create a more safe, sane, peaceful world?" Captain Chappell's answers to this will empower the reader to take creative action. Considering the current trend toward endless, expanding war,
We need this empowerment more than ever before.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75*

Unoriginal ideas written as if they are revolutionary. It's a good message nonetheless.

[Leslie Lea Nord · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our flight instinct is stronger than our fight one - so how is it possible for man to go into war? What motivated the Greeks? What motivates us today? Powerful and insightful little book - great for discussions on the topic of war.

[Reuben · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very compelling statement against armed conflict.