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The Root of War is Fear
(and Denial) By Gianluigi Gugliermetto 1/1/2026 |
It is natural to aspire to peace, and even more so to wish peace to the world at the threshold of a new year. Moreover, the angelic singing “Glory to God, Peace on Earth” has not yet ceased to resonate at least in the minds of liturgically-minded Christians, who celebrate today the “Octave of Christmas,” a feast day which includes the memory of the circumcision of Jesus and the glorification of the maternity of Mary. For Roman Catholics — and others who have adopted
the usage — this is also World Peace Day. |
Yet never in my adult life I have heard rumors of war and warmongering talks like today, here in Europe. Fear is all around, it is manipulated and it is even manufactured. The famous expression by Thomas Merton “the root of war is fear” has become again tragically appropriate. As pope Leo acutely notices, today those who speak about peace are branded as naive and dangerous, making them powerless and unheard. |
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For centuries, the Catholic Church elaborated “just war” theories which at first were intended to curb the passion for war, even though they were exploited by misguided people to justify war itself. In the 11th century, Bernard of Clairvaux famously enjoyed the crusades and made up the word “evil-cide” to mean the justified killing of one’s enemies. I find it very interesting that in the course of the 20th century the Catholic Church progressively abandoned its teachings about “just war” and adopted instead a radical stance, embodied today by pope Leo, which unveils the reality of war as a mechanism of utter greed and contempt for human life. |
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more interesting, however, that the just war theory has migrated into secular thinking. I first heard it used by Tony Blair in the 1990s, and then again in the early 2000s to justify the unjustifiable and tragic destabilization and destruction of Iraq. |
Interesting, but not strange, because just as the Catholic Church presented itself as a force for good, and thus could not simply approve all wars indistinctly, so modern democracies purportedly exist for the flourishing of all societies — not just one’s own — and so they can’t wage war simply for the lust of it. But, in the end, just war theories are just a smokescreen for what is actually happening. Unfortunately, the war propaganda is very subtle and one might get caught in it inadvertently. Some help for verifying one’s complicity may come from this list, which is intended for all armed conflicts: - Verify the factuality of the claims: most news outlets
are partisan as they have never been in the history of the modern world, but this does not mean that there are simply two sides (a usual mistake for Americans);
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- Study the history of the conflict in question: knowing something about the last major event means knowing nothing of the situation, and studying the past events should not be intended to find the culprit but understanding the reasons of all the sides involved;
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Michael Walzer, professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey and editor of Dissent, examines the concept of “just war.” Big Think |
- Probe the rationality of the claims: the appearance that war is the only rational solution always dissolves when the complexity of the power games at stake is revealed; war might benefit some people, but will destroy countless others; war has never created better living conditions or democracy anywhere (I am open to discuss “revolution” instead);
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- Take
idealism out of the equation: the idea of “destroying evil” is still rooted in our brains but following it mindlessly is the worst possible course of action; when we think about politics from a spiritual perspective, we try to be rational and effective, as we want to be guided, not blinded, by our understanding of good and bad.
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On May 17, 1968, the Catonsville Nine took 378 draft files from the local draft board office and burned them in the parking lot as a protest against the Vietnam War. Vision Chasers | Let
me elaborate, as a conclusion, on the last point. It is shocking to me, and very dangerous in my view, that blunt assessments of the moral quality of leaders have taken the place of political judgments. For example, assessing that a head of government is particularly prone to violence is relevant information in the context of many other pieces |
of
evidence, not a reason to believe that such a propensity will soon erupt out of control. There are in fact many concrete factors checking the power of even the worst tyrant. And if violence erupts, let us asks ourselves what are the social, political, ideological, and economic conditions that made such eruption possible,
and let us ask ourselves what is our personal involvement in those conditions. We need to be aware in this incoming 2026 that fear is a powerful motivator for bad decisions. We might be afraid also for real reasons, but in such a case we need to confront the situation with a calm and rational mind. A habit of denial of
responsibility, tossing all of it on the “bad guy” of the day, is also something we may consider to leave behind. There is never just one guy responsible for a war. |
Queries for Contemplation What do you think of Thomas Merton’s expression “the root of war is fear”?
Would you modify it in some ways? |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, or read other comments and enter into dialogue, please click HERE to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
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