There seems to be a rather common misconception that this elusive "Peace" which many choose to pursue can be simply defined as "the lack of a state of openly-declared war". I would think this definition to be so lacking as to be labeled foolish.

This notion of "Peace" entails such concepts as universal harmony, agreement, and cooperation... whereas periods of time without openly-declared war are merely states of recuperation from previous war, positioning for the next war, or an attempt to disguise hostilities by refusing to openly state them... All states which Sapience has experienced quite frequently in the past.

True Peace, in and of itself, would (at least in theory, since it shall never be achieved in reality) so severely hinder the process of Natural Selection as to ensure that the Weak would flourish to the point where either A) The Strong would be forced to cull the herd, thus ending the Peace, or B) The Strong would be forced to capitulate to the feeble and foolish demands of the Weak, in order to maintain Peace.

Further, it should be noted that for the state of True Peace to exist in the first place, the afore-mentioned universal harmony and agreement would have to be achieved. This would require either the cooperation of the Weak and the Strong (something which I can personally assure will never happen for so long as the strength to hold a blade remains within my body), or the complete and total conquest of one over the other.

Therefore, we learn that the only path to any state even remotely approaching True Peace, can only tangibly be achieved through the resolution of absolute conflict.... the most efficient means thereof being commonly referred to... as War.


-- R. Lucoster, Master of the Iron Citadel

Penned by my hand on the 22nd of Ero, in the year 259 AF.