If you want Peace; Prepare for War.

“Do not let the behaviour of others destroy your inner peace.” — Dalai Lama

This Latin phrase originally comes from a book called — “Epitoma Rei Militaris” by the Roman general Vegetius. And while Vegetius originally spoke these words in relation to the Roman army, they have a message which is quite adaptable to present day living.

Before the fall of The Roman Empire, according to Vegetius, the quality of it’s army had deteriorated. In Vegetius’ view, a relatively long spell of peace had lead the army to become complacent, with no threat or impending war they had slacked on training, lost strength, motivation and didn’t wear their armour a lot of the time. Vegetius felt that this left the army vulnerable to attack as they were no longer prepared, trained and seasoned by war. I can definitely see his point, if during peaceful times, a country’s army is robust, strong, well trained and ready for action, this in itself may act as a deterrent to would be invaders.

When it comes to a real world interpretation of the phrase and it’s application to our own lives today; it does seem quite contradictory at first glance. If you want to live a peaceful life, why on earth are you going to prepare for war? Furthermore, I’m quite a fan of the quote and ethos “ hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that” Martin Luther King, which suggests…