Human beings die and kill to prove the reality of a sacred idea or ideal. The nature of the entity or idea for which human beings die and kill is fungible. Among significant entities or ideas for which human beings have died and killed:
- France
- Germany
- The British Empire
- The (Japanese) Emperor
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- Allah
- Freedom and democracy
- A Tamil homeland
- A more perfect union
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The mechanism is the same, regardless of the nature of the idea or ideal or entity: whether or not we think the idea is good or bad, positive or negative.
Memorials erected in the name of those who have died testify to the reality of the idea or ideal. Memorialization perform a validation function.
The best way to begin to understand the bizarre history of the human race (in the 20th century) is to pose the question (for any given moment in time): what was the nature of that "thing"--in the name of societies killed human beings?
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