I understand it's necessity 'at times' but I feel like we rely on war instead of pushing ourselves (all humanity) to mediate and grow in other ways first. I understand that I'm being fluffy and idealistic too. It's just been thousands of years and we're still engaged in relatively similar tactics that we were several thousand years ago.
I am grateful to live in a country where my freedoms are protected by those that by-and-large volunteer to protect them. I also appreciate that I live in a world that if capital punishment is necessary that it can be carried out rather than be purchased away by soft money - like in drug cartels and such. I guess there are always areas (war, capital punishment) that seem barbaric to some but still a reasonable measure of society's and our individuals' rights and powers in another.
I also know that my Uncle was not the same after the gulf war. I don't know what happened and he won't talk about it - but he's a different, detached and very impersonal now.