“…it is the job of generals and admirals and air marshals to prepare for wars. They can only prepare for war at all sensibly if they envisage an antagonist and when they cannot see an obvious antagonist, then they find unlikely antagonists.” – A.J.P. Taylor
It is a good leader that prepares for war without needing to create wars. Historically, and even today, there is a fine line between preparation and provocation. This was especially the case when European nations relied more on troop mobilizations rather than a standing army. If a neighboring country attacked they could win the battle before the enemy had mobilized their full forces. However, if you only suspected an attack and mobilized defensively, the other country might believe you were mobilizing for an aggressive maneuver and provoke something you were only trying to prevent. Then, it came down to a matter of who could mobilize fastest.
When military and political leaders prepare for war they have to both know and imagine who the enemy is and plan for how to defend and counter-attack. When no natural or obvious enemy exists there is the danger of creating one.
It is not uncommon these days for leaders to be accused of creating overseas wars in order to generate profit.
A Human, Not a Military Condition
I believe people do best under a certain degree of stress. We need something to focus our attention and energy on. When no challenge exists, we lose both the capability to respond to challenges when they do occur and we turn our energies into something destructive. Too much stress is unhealthy but so is no stress.
I believe many of the social issues we face today are because we have the luxury of having them.
A Human, Not a Military Problem
If we have a genuine enemy we can fight. If we have a genuine problem we have something to overcome.
If we do not have a genuine enemy, problem, or objective we have three choices.
- Create an enemy to fight.
- Create an challenge to overcome
- Create an objective achieve
Unfortunately, I see many Christians and Christian leaders particularly, losing sight of the real enemy and then they make unnecessary enemies. Like an autoimmune disease in a physical body, the natural defenses and energy turns inward and people turn on their spiritual brothers and sisters.
So, we must be prepared to fight the real enemy and for that we must identify the real enemy. Obviously, the world, the flesh, and the Devil are constant and real enemies. But, if we have the luxury of a relatively easy life and even spiritually speaking, live in somewhat ease, then we must create worthwhile objectives to achieve.
Instead of focusing on tearing down, let’s focus on building up. Instead of making ourselves an attack dog as some so-called discernment ministries do, why not focus on exemplifying what is right, discipling, and training leaders?
Ultimately, real enemies exist. We do not and should not create them simply to have a war to fight.
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