Homo homini lupus

The phrase of Thomas Hobbes(1588-1679) very famous, that given title to this essay: “homo homini lupus”, is translated: “The man to other man is a wolf”, this is a danger and enemy; we can that it is alone an exaggeration, because the mankind, usually we comment, isn’t all so; and the our contradiction is in this, to say: “isn’t all so”, because it means that a part of humankind is so, therefore we are partially in right and in contradiction, but the human nature, that during these comments is never considered, is much different; because although we can hide this inclination the humankind considers other as his enemy, actually a “lupus”, why? Simple it is the animal instinct of mankind, that can vent for the wars, and the hate is after press to through the politic rhetoric, from the religion, that identifies in somebody the enemy, The scarlet letter of Nathaniel Hawthorne(1804-1864), is a representation of a village in New England during the 17^th century, where Esther Prynne, the female protagonist, is emarginated because she has had a daughter but without a husband; the religion, the policy and other motives are useful to creation of an enemy; in mankind is present this instinct, when somebody goes to our propriety, without invite, we have dread that he is somebody that want hurt us; it is normal, and hence we have reactions that are sit to the context, this is defense; when we don’t know somebody, and he want meet us the first reaction is worry because we don’t know him, and not knowledge is motive for the worry, but it is alone the instinctive reaction that we have because it is normal. If we consider attentively this think we can understand other phenomenal, during a war the contradiction and the truth of this essay is evident; because the war is fought by armies, and the armies is a gather of mem, that are tied from an ideal above all, this is a common enemy, hence in this context for the army the “lupus” isn’t because is dominant the hide toward a enemy, but is also present the hide toward an enemy, that is other man, whereby the love to ideal that the soldier expresses has its compensation to hide that he expresses toward enemies, thereupon the hide and love are satisfied, as can occur every day, when we shield our propriety we are shielding our richness, our family, but it is the normal reaction and so we have the contradiction, because we hate something or somebody we are loving and hating in same time, we shield our owns for our family but we are also hating somebody, that we don’t know. The difference is other motive for to consider somebody as an enemy, since you are race, culture, language you are danger. Inasmuch Hobbes was right homo homini lupus. The Latin moto “si pacem vis para bellum”, this is “if you want the peace prepare the war”, is the invite to desistence, why it is necessary? Because the mistrust toward the other is permanent.   

Alessandro Lusana