The war mentality springs from the core belief that life is a struggle. That core belief is successfully passed from each generation to the next. People naturally move toward pleasure and away from pain. We learn both pain and pleasure at a very early age. We are taught that pleasure can easily lead to pain, such as when we disobey authority in our pursuit of pleasure and receive punishment. Pleasure and pain become tools to shape our behaviors and our core beliefs.

The American educational system reinforces the life is a struggle belief. At an early age we are shown again and again that disobedience to authority creates pain and obedience is our duty. We compete with one another for 10 - 20 years in this system to avoid the pain of failure and receive the rewards of achievement. High school and college graduates, as well as drop outs, know life is a struggle. Workers, managers and professionals all know life is a struggle. Therefore, America "knows" life is a struggle and its entire history is one of struggle, fear and war.

Every threat to our well being is seen as a struggle. We understand perfectly when we hear the word jihad. We not only fight proclaimed wars as a matter of civic duty, we fight secret wars, we think just happen. Twentieth Century government and business fought an undeclared war on family. The need for labor at industrial and transportation hubs lured rural people to cities, away from the natural agrarian struggle, to enjoy a better standard of living for fewer hours of struggle.

By mid Century, government was promoting single family housing through the GI Bill. With greater mobility, families divided over great geographical distances and the traditional extended family became a thing of the past. The nuclear family then came under attack by easy divorce and abortion. Since the extended family was the economic backbone of society and the true guarantee of social and old age security, government has taken over that function for us. Business did also during mid century but we all see those days are over.

Now we struggle alone, both with and against big government. Big brother is now mom, dad, grandma and grandpa for perhaps half our population. Most of our children have no idea this is a new thing. The war was quietly waged and won, over four generations. The only thing the people noticed was the nature of struggle was constantly changing. Few have a clue about this secret war, or that it is over. We have lost natural family and we seek artificial replacements. Religion, school, politics, work, profession, even retirement communities and nursing homes, try to replace family. The Vietnam War was the first to call attention to the enemies within America and most folks did not want to know. Global conflict is a struggle that takes our minds off what we don't want to know. We take much more comfort in it than we would ever let on.

The young child knows that life is wonderful, fascinating and no struggle at all. If society did not think it duty to set every child straight about struggle, there would be no war. Still we know in our bones if we don't warn our children of every danger they might face, we have not prepared them for survival or life. It is a very vicious cycle indeed. The only way to break it is to get back to the land and set our souls free.

We live artificial lives and struggles. We eat artificial "food" and practice artificial medicine as a result. With the secret war on family also came a secret war on environment that is nearly over too. War helps us ignore causes and focus on effects. We need it. We love it. And we will never do without it, no matter what we profess publicly or privately. We lie to ourselves about who we are and we accept every other lie without much question. We love magic and deception, which is as close as we can get to childhood innocence. We've been robbed but we can't find the thieves or that which we lost. We don't see what we lost. That alone makes recovery next to impossible. The common sense is usually contrary to all received wisdom. That's what makes it common. It is the child who lives by faith and that is why Jesus counseled to become as little children. Instead, we counsel children to grow up, the sooner the better.

Because this deception is global, the struggle is global and war is accepted everywhere. It is the unifier of choice among strugglers. Struggle and war are both conscious choices. If you choose not to struggle, you will naturally withdraw your support for war. You will make choices that do not force you to support struggle and war. You will be free while strugglers fight to be free and only increase their burdens.

To quit struggling is a relatively easy process compared to what it took to make you a struggler. This is your hope. Look at every area in your life; home, family, community, relationships, work, entertainment and recreation. What are the struggles for you in each area? What can you do differently that will eliminate each struggle? Do that thing differently. If you still feel you are struggling, make another change. There are no limits to changes you can try, so there is no need for hopelessness or despair, the hallmarks of struggle. There are reasons why America is one of, if not the most depressed nation on earth and one of the most depressing as well. Are you one of the reasons? Are you an excuse for war?

Ed Howes sought and found, knocked and entered. Now he sees things differently. To see more of what he sees, please visit http://www.justanotherview.com or do an author search here at Ezine Articles.