Destruction breeds self-destruction: How aggression erodes societies from within

By Bharat Dogra 

Those who seek to destroy others must realize that deliberate acts of aggression carry within them the seeds of self-destruction.

This insight can be understood on many levels. Most fundamentally, all human beings possess a natural sensitivity that discourages cruelty, injustice, and harm. To become destructive toward others, individuals must suppress or even kill this inner sensitivity. When this suppression is systematic and repeated—as in policy-driven aggression—it becomes a self-destructive process.

This erosion of empathy does not remain confined to the context of aggression. Sensitivity is not like a switch that can be turned on and off at will. Once blunted, it spreads like a toxin into other aspects of life: relationships at home, social interactions, workplaces. The result is a rise in selfish, deceitful, or violent behavior, particularly in close relationships. This, in turn, increases emotional distress, substance abuse, and in some cases, suicidal tendencies.

On a societal scale, when such aggression is normalized, we often see rising mental health crises, social disintegration, and widespread escapism. Youth, particularly vulnerable due to their still-intact idealism, are the worst affected. Many oscillate between brief moments of protest and longer periods of withdrawal, as the system quietly encourages resignation over reform.

Examples from modern history underline these linkages. In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, U.S. veterans expressed deep emotional trauma. One statement reads: “We know what Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder looks, feels, and tastes like because the ghosts of over two million men, women, and children still haunt our dreams. More of us took our own lives after returning home than died in battle.”

Another case is that of the American pilot who dropped napalm on a Vietnamese village, severely burning the girl Kim Phuc. He was haunted by the image of her running in flames—an image burned into global memory. He began drinking heavily to dull the memories, but the guilt only deepened. His life unraveled.

Such stories are far from isolated. High rates of substance abuse, domestic violence, and suicide among returning soldiers are well documented, especially those involved in unjust wars. At the root of it lies the loss of empathy—first externally, then internally.

Societies that thrive on conquest and exploitation must build value systems that make their citizens numb to others' suffering. In the process, however, they breed internal dysfunction. From Rome to modern empires, internal collapse has followed external dominance. The life of Christopher Columbus, known for violent exploitation, reveals this arc. A doctor who treated him in later years diagnosed him as suffering from psychological rootlessness, chronic delusion, and self-deception.

Aggressive states often promote big lies to justify wars and plunder. These lies extend inward too—to cover up exploitative domestic policies driven by powerful corporate interests. The health and environmental costs of hazardous industries, which often surpass even those of war, are similarly denied.

Moreover, societies that engage in external aggression often experience high levels of internal violence. The same forces that destabilize foreign governments often undermine domestic democracy. Leaders who push for justice and peace may find themselves silenced by the very apparatus that profits from conflict. History shows that wars of conquest can ultimately turn into civil wars and even collapse among former allies.

If we were to sum up the past 500 years of world history in one sentence, it might read: Destructive colonial wars and exploitation eventually led to wars among the colonial powers themselves, and now, those who inherited this legacy are bringing the world to the brink of ruin.

This writer has long emphasized the connection between aggression and internal breakdown. My book, Burning on Both Ends, argues that domination and conquest lead to pain not only for the victim but also for the aggressor. Social, familial, and individual distress can often be traced back to acts of sustained injustice.

Research and deeper understanding of these patterns can help convince more people of the futility of violence and exploitation. We need an integrated reform movement that connects external peace with internal wellbeing—replacing conquest with cooperation, and destruction with healing.

---

Bharat Dogra is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Planet in Peril, Earth without Borders, A Day in 2071, Saving Earth for Children, and Man over Machine – A Path to Peace