War and death are two of the most devastating and destructive forces that humanity has ever known. They have shaped the course of history, shaped the lives of countless individuals, and left an indelible mark on the world.
At their core, war and death are both products of the same fundamental human drives: the desire for power, the desire for security, and the desire for resources. These drives have led to countless conflicts throughout history, as different groups and nations have sought to assert their dominance and control over others.
The consequences of war are truly staggering. In addition to the loss of life, which is often catastrophic, wars have the power to destroy entire societies and cultures. They can leave behind physical and emotional scars that last for generations, and they can have devastating effects on the natural environment.
Despite the overwhelming destruction and suffering that war brings, it seems that we as a species are unable to break free from this cycle of violence. Despite our best efforts, we continue to find ourselves mired in conflicts all around the world, and it seems that we are always just one small spark away from the next major conflict.
Death, too, is a constant presence in our lives. It is an inevitable part of the human experience, and one that we all must eventually face. It can be a frightening and overwhelming prospect, and it is often difficult to come to terms with the finality of it all.
But death, like war, is also a powerful force for change. It can bring about new beginnings, and it can serve as a reminder of the preciousness of life. It can inspire us to live each day to the fullest, and to make the most of the time we have.
In the end, war and death are two of the most difficult and challenging aspects of the human experience. They are forces that we must all grapple with at some point in our lives, and they are forces that have the power to shape the world in profound ways. But despite the pain and suffering that they bring, they also have the power to bring about change and growth, and to remind us of the importance of cherishing the time we have.
Reflections on War and Death : Sigmund Freud : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
I think any little suggestion that will make it easier for him to see his way more clearly will be welcome. The second form, indistinguishable from the first in peacetime, was enforced by a system of rewards and punishments that elicited moral behavior: good conduct is rewarded, and bad punished. In 1900, his major work 'The Interpretation of Dreams' was published in which Freud analysed dreams in terms of unconscious desires and experiences. When society cannot rebuke citizens for the sake of hypocrisy, suppression of base passions is relieved, and men commit acts of treachery, cruelty, fraud, and barbarity. Thus did I speak: forthwith then answering thus he addressed me. One did not want to believe this, but what did one imagine such a war to be like if it should ever come about? Here Freud lays out the beautiful idea about literature and theatre being compensation for what we have to lose in life.
Reflections on War and Death by Sigmund Freud
This laying bare is, of course, harmless, because we are paralyzed and condemned to inactivity by the sleeping state. He argues that "If you wish life, prepare for death". Yet, the most thought-provoking statement Si vis vitam, para mortem. Throughout his life, Freud would come back to the idea of the death wish, struggling to place its importance in his theories. In my book entitled "Totem and Taboo," If the Son of God had to sacrifice his life to absolve mankind from original sin, then, according to the law of retaliation, the return of like for like, this sin must have been an act of killing, a murder.
Reflections Upon War and Death
The fact that states and races abolished their mutual ethical restrictions not unnaturally incited them to withdraw for a time from the existing pressure of civilization and to sanction a passing gratification of their suppressed impulses. Ironically, his own nation would be the catalyst to THE most bloodiest and terrorizing war and genocide ever known to man till that point. One need not be a sentimentalist, one may realize the biological and physiological necessity of suffering in the economy of human life, and yet one may condemn the methods and the aims of war and long for its termination. We were therefore quite ready to believe that for some time to come there would be wars between primitive and civilized nations and between those divided by color, as well as with and among the partly enlightened and more or less civilized peoples of Europe. When I speak of disappointment everybody knows at once what I mean. Philip Rieff New York: Collier Books, 1963 , p. He started carving out the distinct field of psychoanalysis in 1895, with Studies in Hysteria, followed by The Interpretation of Dreams 1899 , The Psychopathology of Everyday Life 1901 , Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality 1905 , and numerous other books and articles.
Reflections on War and Death
Even Noble selfless Endeavors are marred in Self serving Indulgences. Her deeply embittered votaries are intent upon seizing her weapons to do their share in the battle against the enemy. Students of human nature and philosophers If we have thus come to a fresh understanding of our estranged fellow citizens we can more easily bear the disappointment which nations have caused us, for of them we must only make demands of a far more modest nature. To listen to us we were, of course, prepared to maintain that death is the necessary termination of life, that everyone of us owes nature his death and must be prepared to pay his debt, in short, that death As far as the death of another person is concerned every man of culture will studiously avoid mentioning this possibility in the presence of the person in question. By showing a basic life form displays similar behavior to that of humans in the presence of a threat, Smith makes the case that war is a natural feature of human life. Our own death which we refuse to seriously consider. It would seem as though no event had ever destroyed so much of the precious heritage of mankind, confused so many of the clearest intellects or so thoroughly debased what is highest.