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One would think that in due time, because of the increasing alacrity
of invention and discovery, that poverty, sickness, disease, and even war will
become mere historical terms. It still is baffling to me, that a country, such
as Israel, founded in 1949, has spent its entire existence at war. You would
think, in this day and age, a more civil approach would have been developed.
Yet, rather than develop a better approach to conflict, we have developed more
sophisticated methodology for warfare.
To travel back through history and determine the order and
progression of weaponry is not an easy task. I will attempt to envision this
progression, and find meaning from it all. First, after master Adam partook of
the apple, we soon developed the need for weaponry. A mere four chapters into
the Bible, we have Cain slaying his brother, Abel, out of jealousy, thus the
beginning of war. Whether Cain used his fists to physically beat Abel to death,
or his hands to choke him, is not recorded. Possibly, as a tiller of the
fields, he found a rock or large stick to aid his cause. The interesting aspect
to note from this original scene, is that today we still carry on this
tradition, only now we call it boxing, and pay to watch it. Some may argue it
is also carried on in the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) under another name.
Either way it is a strange reflection on us as individuals.
The earliest form of war, involved physical connection between the
participants. This is probably human conflict in its purest form, where two
individuals have nothing but strength, will, determination and stamina standing
between themselves and death. The course from here is drastically altered, as
each new phase creates a separation between the engaged parties. Very seldom,
in this day and age, is hand to hand combat utilized in battle. I think this is
very important aspect of war, this separation that has evolved.
From hands, we go to sticks and rocks; then to sharpening the ends of
sticks to toss, and developing catapults to hurl the rocks. This necessitated
the development of shields and armor for protection against these projectiles.
The conception of the wheel, the use of horses, the incorporation of fire and
burning liquids all found a natural place in the battlefield. The bigger the
rock thrower, the heavier it is; thus the need for wheels to move it, horses to
lug it around, and so on. Bows and arrows and crossbows increased the distance
you could keep between yourself and the enemy. Forts, built of wood to protect
supplies and livestock, were subject to fire, and had to be built of rock. The
big gates, after the development of the battering ram, weren't sufficient to
hold out intruders so moats were built or the castle was placed on a high hill.
The gun arrived on the scene. First seen as a pistol, which had a
steel ball to stuff in one end, gunpowder for the other and a firing pin to
cause the initial spark. Single fore pistols gave way to muskets or rifles for
longer-range firepower. Then came cannons which shot a significantly larger
ball and went a lot farther. The guns kept getting bigger, better, easier to
shoot, going from single shot to double shot to magazine clips. Then the guns
were mounted on ships, as ships came in to play; on mechanized vehicles, as
they were developed, and finally airplanes.
We now have ships with guns that can carry airplanes with guns that
can carry tanks with guns that can carry men with guns that can carry trained
monkeys with guns. OK, I'm not sure about the monkeys, but you get the point.
Each new technological invention is applied in the arena of war. In the Persian
Gulf War, we saw daily reports live from General Schwartzkopf, who
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