Originally posted at Radical Second Things:

It can be hard to feel good about the world like it is right now. We see mass death, endless war and those taken from us because of such conflicts are among the most vulnerable of us. This has plagued human history a long time but the advent of social media and iPhones means that we can see it up close and unfiltered – more than likely the pictures we are familiar with of past conflicts are only what made it through the dark room and to publication.

The scenes of carnage from Israel and Palestine are certainly jarring and the larger world with its violence cannot seem any better. However, there may be reason for some optimism. Amongst the various reports of carnage in Palestine has come scenes of religious cooperation. One story from the Telegraph out of Britain, in which “hundreds of Palestinians seek refuge in schools and churches run by Christians as they flee their homes from Israeli bombardment.”

That story was apparently removed from the Telegraph website, so I had to post a reprint, not surprising as people’s emotions are so intense that they can go in about 900 different directions. Alot has been taken down or retracted as the US media has been confused as to how to how to couple its usual pro-Israel bias with the horrible reality in Gaza. Nevertheless, if what is reported is accurate, it does provide some room for optimism.

Europe suffered the worst wars this world has seen for centuries. World War I and World War II took millions of lives, senselessly and purposelessly and led in to the creation of the State of Israel itself. Even despite a Cold War and various acts of conflict and genocide in Eastern Europe, European countries stayed absent of large scale conflict. France and Germany were noticeably absent from America’s war on terrorism. There have been some writers who have said that they think Russian aggression will change that but it's very hard to see a situation where Europe would really relinquish its non-interventionism. Likewise, Japan has stayed absent of any military conflict since WWII. They were compelled to do so, yes, but the end result was the Japanese actually dominating the world through trade and culture, obtaining the influence Imperial Japan aimed for without a single shot fired.

What changed? What made these countries so committed to pacifism? Well, seeing what war really looks like up close, at its absolute worst and extreme, and personal may have done it. War destroys everything that life provides – infrastructure, buildings, food and life itself, even the youngest life. I hope that if anyone takes anything from all of this, it is that. It is possible to end the warrior way of life and many countries throughout the world do it – it is only a handful that are immersed in never-ending conflict. Not even the entire Middle East is immersed in conflicts - countries like Morocco, Algeria (once the sight of a brutal conflict) and much of the Arabian peninsula stay out of our headlines. Let’s hope that handful joins the rest.