Why Do We Fight?

We are a civilization that has had violence instilled in us through generations of evolution, a species forged through competition, a distillation of the darwinist theory. From the days of savage, nomadic tribes, to the current tradition of sports and the workplace. We relish in the struggle, we yearn to become the victor. But why do we fight?

This question goes beyond a violent or military sense, it is asked not of the flesh, but of the of the mind, of the soul. If you are not physically fighting for survival, then what are you fighting for? It is easy to get lost in the struggle to lose sight of where you started, even where you are going, and just focus yourself on the fight. It is easier that way, occupy yourself with what you are doing currently, and remain ignorant to what the outcome may be. Less stressful to simply think of the battle and not of the war.

The art of self reflection is something that is no longer taught in earnest to our youth. Our system for learning is based off that of a factory, based off an institution that craves efficiency, focuses on the singular motions in light of the process as a whole, praises the quantity of results over their quality.  Our religions teach not to look inside oneself and devise a moral code, but to listen to the words etched on the walls, to fear punishment for defying them. The question why is removed from our vocabulary, and replaced instead with obey.

We learn through all of this simply not to fail. We learn to push with every inch of our strength to simply conquer whatever obstacle is in front of us, for fear of being punished if we fail. That punishment can come from the outside, from some elder or system meant to keep us in line, but as we get older and loosen the grip of these authority figures on ourselves, this punishment comes from within. We chalk up so many of our actions as failures, and destroy ourself internally for it. “Reach for the stars”, “chase after your dreams”, “nothing is impossible” are the other set of mantras that have been instilled upon us alongside the ever looming message of “don’t fail”. We are cursed creations because of this.

It is all too easy to find something worth chasing after, the heighten the idea in your head. You take something simple, some want which becomes a dream, which ultimately becomes a conquest. The social training kicks in and your nose is against the grindstone, stopping at nothing to achieve this dream, but what happens when this survival instinct takes over your logic? What happens when you don’t want the thing you are chasing after anymore, where it’s notion has been perverted, but you are locked into the fight. Unwilling to give up, you fight forward anyway, hoping that the ends will justify the means. You become obsessed, so sure you were when you started that this star was worth reaching for, but as you get closer it doesn’t seem to shine so bright.

So as you finally wrap your fingers around the supernova, you squeeze and scrape it, trying to reshape it’s form into something that was more of your liking. Your victory feels like a failure, but you have put in too much to go back now. Had you only been able to allow yourself to reappraise the situation before you got this far, you may have been able to avoid this discomfort. 

“Why do I fight?” is not simply a question to ask yourself at the onset of a journey, it is something to constantly be asking yourself. Contrary to how the public reacts to a politician who has a change of opinion, there is nothing wrong with contradicting yourself. You are not perfect, your judgements can change based on new information. What is worth fighting for one day may not be worth fighting for the next.

One should always fight for their own personal ideal, and do so loudly. Let your soul sound it’s barbaric yawp from the rooftops. If your passion lies in the heart of your soul, you will always have a reason for why you fight, it will speak clearly to you. It may be something simple, or may be something that lies high on a sort of cosmic scale. Either way the fire in your soul will rush over you as the answer enters your brain. If that answer cannot be found, it may be time to abandon that fight. Pick your battles passionately, and you will endure them happily. Fight without that passion, and you will find only sorrow.

Abandoning a fight is not a failure, for who is there to be your judge outside of yourself. If there is no passion, no personal fire in your fight, how can you even have enough energy left to judge yourself? Bother yourself only with that which makes you feel alive, dispose of that which drains you. A battle can always be resumed if it again deems that level of importance.

Constantly ask yourself this question, and don’t chastise yourself if your answer does not seem to rival the importance of some grand crusade. The greatest for a soul to fight is to simply be happy.