War: A by-product of the arts of peace.
Interpretation
War emerges as an unintended result of humanity's pursuit of peace.
Ambrose Bierce's quote suggests that the quest for peace can paradoxically lead to conflict and war. This statement provokes thought about the complexities of human society, where efforts to create order and harmony may inadvertently result in chaos and violence, highlighting the intricate relationship between peace and war.
In practice
In a discussion about international relations, one might reference this quote to illustrate the complexity of achieving lasting peace.
PALM, n. A species of tree . . . of which the familiar "itching palm" ("Palma hominis") is most widely distributed . . . . This noble vegetable exudes a kind of invisible gum, which may be detected by applying to the bark a piece of gold or silver.
Human nature is pretty well balanced; for every lacking virtue there is a rough substitute that will serve at a pinch--as cunning is the wisdom of the unwise, and ferocity the courage of the coward.
Indigestion: A disease which the patient and his friends frequently mistake for deep religious conviction and concern for the salvation of mankind. As the simple Red Man of the Western Wild put it, with, it must be confessed, a certain force: 'Plenty well, no pray; big belly ache, heap God.'
Disobey n:To celebrate with an appropriate ceremony the maturity of a command
NOUMENON, n. That which exists, as distinguished from that which merely seems to exist, the latter being a phenomenon. The noumenon is a bit difficult to locate; it can be apprehended only by a process of reasoning - which is a phenomenon.
PARDON, v. To remit a penalty and restore to the life of crime. To add to the lure of crime the temptation of ingratitude.
Still falls the rain - dark as the world of man, black as our loss - blind as the nineteen hundred and forty nails upon the Cross.
This is what those who haven’t crossed the tropic of grief often fail to understand: the fact that someone is dead may mean that they are not alive, but doesn’t mean that they do not exist.
Compassion being action without motive, without self-interest, without any sense of fear, without any sense of pleasure.
Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.
I wish to go on living even after my death.
The point is that our true nature is not some ideal that we have to live up to. It's who we are right now, and that's what we can make friends with and celebrate.
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