ON ANTE BELLUM
Greetings, Plankind.
The translation of the Latin ante bellum means “before war” and in writing this blog, I’m not aligning with any historic or contemporary active conflict or perspective for which the term is sometimes a reference.
Ante bellum has been on my list of prospective blog topics for a while and it feels right to reflect and introduce some of this philosopher’s thoughts on before war at this interlude.
When I was at school, war seemed like an historical, defined concept. Wars had starts, and ends. The horrors and wargaming that happened inbetween were, in most cases, well-documented and shrouded in lessons to be learned, with a view to “never again”.
Somewhere along the way, war started becoming more loosely or frequently defined. There were wars on drugs, crime, various political hot potatoes being baked into our consciousness as things to fear or rail against, depending on which side of the war we joined the ranks.
Growing awareness and a global purview led to me understanding there were contemporary wars around the globe. Global Citizen (with whom Make Me A Plan has no affiliation) identifies 32 live conflicts currently https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/facts-about-world-conflicts/#:~:text=1.,%2C%E2%80%9D%20and%20%E2%80%9Cimproving.%E2%80%9D. I wonder how many are familiar to you?
What was there before war in these countries and our own? When it comes down to it, perhaps love and nature are the only two pillars of the physical and metaphysical. Try to connect with both as much as you can. They are fragile and important.
Next fortnight, I’ll be writing On Tribes, so by definition, I need some of you to come along and join me. Please get in touch with any particular aspects of this subject you’d like me to write about.
In the meantime,
Happy Planning
PS If you want some other free tips for your business life, check out the Working Well blog – out fortnightly on Wednesdays, courtesy of Make Me A Plan’s Productivity Expert, Penny Le Kelly. Browse the latest edition here: