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Based on her study of American history, Carolyn Marvin concludes (1999) that “Blood sacrifice preserves the nation.” Society depends on the death of its own members at the hands of the group. War is a ritual in which the “lifeblood” of the members of a nation are shed.
My own research on Nazi German confirms Marvin's hypothesis: the purpose of warfare is to keep the blood flowing—so that the nation stays alive.
The clearest statement of the ideology of blood sacrifice appears in the following statement by Rudolf Hess:
| The stream of blood which for Germany is eternal — the sacrifice of German men for their Volk is eternal — therefore Germany will also be eternal. |
In General Douglas MacArthur's “Farewell Speech to the Corps of Cadets at West Point” (May 12, 1962), he stated that while soldiers pray for peace, “always in our ears ring the ominous words of Plato,” that wisest of all philosophers: "Only the dead have seen the end of war."
HUMAN BEINGS DO NOT WANT TO SEE AN END TO WAR. We believe that if there is no end to war—then the blood will flow forever. We can’t bear to contemplate the death of our nation, that is, the end of our fantasy of immortality.
Nations seem immortal, the "stream" of civilization seems to keep on flowing, as long as there is BLOOD TO NOURISH THE DREAM. The fantasy of immortality LIVES ON AND OFF THE BLOOD OF HUMAN BEINGS.
Human beings WANT the blood to keep flowing forever, because blood NOURISHES THE FANTASY THAT NATIONS LIVE FOREVER.
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