Human beings are naturally aggressive. Simply put, when an individual decides that they want something, they make a conscious decision that they will do whatever they can in order to attain whatever it may be. It is human instinct to want to be powerful. It is a basic human instinct to want to gain more control over one’s life and attain a greater sense of comfort in one’s position in life. All of these basic instincts and needs drive our everyday actions either knowingly or unknowingly. These values hold true in the actions of every nation’s leaders and the people in everyday life. Our naturally aggressive state drives everyone’s actions and eventually boils down to being the reason that people are discriminated against, stripped of territory, and ultimately brought into debt.
The root of discrimination stems from the natural aggressiveness of a human. A clear example of this is displayed in Saudi Arabia every day. Women are not granted the right to operate a motor vehicle. Recently, in a case covered by The Telegraph, a Saudi woman sentenced to be lashed for driving a car. (“Telegraph”) There are multiple things wrong with this situation. Firstly, women in that country are being highly discriminated against. Secondly, the punishment for disobeying this nations rule is a lashing; a similar punishment to what the slaves of the 18th and 19th centuries in America received. This aggressive behavior is used to demonstrate control, which is ultimately what all humans seek to gain in life, a greater sense of control and increased power over more people. The fact that women are still being discriminated against demonstrates the natural aggressiveness of man. Control over a certain people, in this case, women, was available so it was seized. This empowers the government to be even more aggressive in global interactions because of an increased sense of confidence.
The natural aggressiveness that humans possess is the basis for all actions related to territory conflicts in the world. A nation seeks new territory because they seek to gain more power in the world. These actions are taken by individuals who possess the aggressive quality, which all humans are born with. A prime example of this aggressive quality leading a territory struggle is with the Palestine-Israel conflict over whether Palestine should have its own state. Israel has been in constant conflict with Palestine for years over territory and religion. Now that Palestine is up for a U.N. statehood bid, an aggressive action, Israel and the U.S. are ready to combat this bid in any way they can. These feelings all stem from the main argument of this essay: human beings are naturally aggressive. Palestine wants power and control over its own people as well as an increase in power in the world. Israel wants to maintain powerful in its middle-eastern area and therefore resents this move by the Palestinians. This reason along with religious agendas fuels the conflict. (Greenberg) The aggressive nature of these actions proves that it is instilled in humans to be aggressive. Realists support this idea as well because they know that if power is available then it should be sought and taken because it only makes sense to increase one’s power and control.
This next example portrays the