If people understood more about other cultures and religions?

Question

Do you think that there would be a great deal less wars and more trust ?

Or do wars mostly result from other things such as oil, money or a desire for land ?

Answer 1

Fewer wars and more FUN learning how to do things that others know...art, dancing, cuisines, music...Just imagine.

Give the bigots and Neocons on the board a taste of things they don't know. There's plenty to try from the great world out there.

Answer 2

The world would be a better place if people understood more about other cultures and religions, and religious wars would end. However wars over money, property,etc. will continue until someone finds an effective solution.

Answer 3

Actually if people understood more about Islam and the Qu'ran they'd realize it reads like Mein Kampf and a Religious text. My guess is if people understood about things liek Taqiya, Jizya, the different methods of Jiad (all 5 meanings), and ALL MUSLIMS support to place Sharia law across the world (even through voting), there would be a world wide war to wipe Islam off the face of the earth.

Answer 4

A large percentage of conflict today is due to "us vs them" mentality.
An intersting statement is that "the US never went to war with a country with a McDonalds". While somewhat specious, there is a kernel of truth. Notice there has not been warfare between industialized, 1st world nations for the last 60 years. Two factors could be that war is counterproductive and econimically disasterous to developed nations as well as, as you say, a cultural awareness that enables cooperative resolution of conflict, motivated by the aformentioned aversion to inflicting the costs of war. Having your factories and economic infrastructure bombed is a huge disincentive to going to war. Also, when there is economic interest in a country ("McDonald's" abroad), there is economic disincentive to put that investment in a foreign country at risk by going to war. Observe Russian and Chinese reluctance to implement sanctions on Iran and North Korea. Is this due to altruism or economic interest?
This addresses why developed countries avoid going to war, but why do other countries/peoples seem to use war as a first resort? The flip side to the economic reason not to go to war is when you have nothing to lose. If you have no economy that would be put at risk, there is less aversion to going to war. This is apparent by the observation that most modern conflict is located in poorer regions of the world. Another motivation for some to go to war is a culturally pervasive landscape of hatred. Much of the hatred in the middle east in engendered by the indoctrination in youth to hate others. This breeds a culture of hate. So if this culture of hatred could be, as you say, replaced by cultural awareness, perhaps much of the conflict in the world today could be avoided.

Answer 5

At this time of year I would rather be remembering my own. I've never bothered people about having a different religion or culture. I think everyone should enjoy their culture.

Sometimes war is about defending one's country against invasion. Why would you say the Civil War was fought? I think you have a very narrow view of why war happens.

Answer 6

They are over money, alliances, desire for land, but most of all religion. It wouldnt matter if they knew all religions head to toe, theyrd be wars

Answer 7

Obviously. The more contact between the people of various nations, and the less interaction between their governments, the less wars. That's why we need to keep out of entangling alliances and treaties. We need to get out of the UN and NATO. It is not isolationism. We need more contact between our people and people in other countries. We need less government involvement and interference.