Krishnamurti on War

One of the major causes of war is industry. When industry and economics go hand in hand with politics they must inevitably sustain a separative activity to maintain the economic stature. All countries are doing this, the great and the small. The small are being armed by the big, some quietly, surreptitiously, others openly. Is the cause of all this misery, suffering and the enormous waste of money on armaments, the visible sustenance of pride, of wanting to be superior to others? From KRISHNAMURTI TO HIMSELF

War is the spectacular and bloody projection of our everyday life. It is an outward expression of our inward state, an enlargement of our daily action. From Krishnamurti’s book THE FIRST AND LAST FREEDOM

In this short but powerful quote, Krishnamurti sums up the causes of war, that it is the amplified result of what goes on inside ourselves: the conflicts, the divisions and the feeling that things or emotions are other than ourselves. We feel that warfare is something ‘out there’, something others are instigating, and yet we live perpetually with internal ‘wars’ even as we attempt to live a peaceful life.

In this feature, we unfold what Krishnamurti has to say about war, something that has been with humanity for millennia and has not left us, and explore whether it is possible to live truly peacefully inwardly and so outwardly.

The problems of war have existed before, but most of us have not been concerned with them as they were remote, and not affecting us personally and deeply, but now war is at our door and seems to dominate the minds of most people.

Perhaps outward events can energise our inquiry into not only why the current wars are taking place, but moreover into the very cause of conflict, and whether it is possible for humanity to live without war.

The problem that we should discuss, which is ever-present, is that of the individual and his relationship with another, which is society. If we can understand this complex problem then perhaps we shall be able to avoid the many causes that ultimately lead to war. War is a symptom, however brutal and diseased, and to deal with the outer manifestation without regard to the deeper causes of it, is futile and purposeless. In fundamentally changing the causes, perhaps we can bring about a peace that is not destroyed by outer circumstances.

There Can Be No Peace if There Is Division as Nationalities

There are political divisions, ideological divisions, religious divisions, national divisions, and the divisions between man and man. There are divisions as the Hindu, the Buddhist, the Christian and the Muslim, with all their sub-divisions. Wherever there is division there must be conflict. Wherever there are nationalities, the American, the Russian, the Chinese, there must inevitably be various forms of economic, social, military and political struggle. Perhaps most of us are aware of this, but we seem to be unable to do anything. See that where there is a division of any kind, there must be conflict.

These divisions exist, they are actual, not theoretical. And these divisions have brought about wars. Apparently, nobody is interested in stopping wars. Nobody is interested to find out the causes of war and whether those causes can be totally, completely eliminated. Neither the politicians nor the religious hierarchy are interested in ending war. They may talk endlessly about peace but you cannot have peace if there is division as nationalities.