The war industry people are very together; they know exactly
The war industry people are very together; they know exactly what they want; they don't even have to talk to each other. The peace industry people are just intellectuals who are very critical of each other... Unless the peace industry is powerful, we're always going to have war. It is as simple as that.
Hear the piercing words of the artist and prophetess, Yoko Ono, who declared: “The war industry people are very together; they know exactly what they want; they don’t even have to talk to each other. The peace industry people are just intellectuals who are very critical of each other… Unless the peace industry is powerful, we’re always going to have war. It is as simple as that.” These words shine as a lament and a warning, a cry from one who saw clearly the imbalance of human energy: that those who deal in destruction are united, while those who dream of harmony are divided.
To speak of the war industry is to speak of a machine that has existed since the dawn of kingdoms. Armies, weapons, profit, and conquest—all are bound by a common goal. The war makers, as Ono observed, are united in vision. They do not need debate, for their purpose is clear: to arm, to expand, to dominate. And because of this unity, they move swiftly, their power magnified by their single-mindedness. History has proven that empires rise on this cohesion, and wars begin not with hesitation but with the certainty of profit and ambition.
By contrast, the peace industry is often fractured. Those who labor for peace are thinkers, poets, dreamers, philosophers. They debate endlessly, seeking purity of vision. They critique one another, seeking the perfect definition of justice, the flawless path to reconciliation. Yet in their division, their power is weakened. For where the sword strikes with one blow, the advocates of peace too often scatter into many voices. Ono mourns this truth: that while the war makers advance, the peacemakers quarrel.
Consider the fate of the League of Nations, born from the ashes of the First World War. Its founders sought to end conflict through dialogue, but they lacked unity and strength. Nations turned inward, critics abounded, and the League’s voice faltered. Meanwhile, the architects of war gathered their weapons, their vision clear. The result was the eruption of the Second World War, a cataclysm that might have been checked had the advocates of peace stood firm and united. This history proves Ono’s warning: peace must be more than an ideal—it must be organized, powerful, and unyielding.
Yet there are shining examples of what happens when the peace industry finds strength. The nonviolent movements of Mahatma Gandhi in India and Martin Luther King Jr. in America were not merely loose gatherings of intellectuals. They were disciplined, united, and strategic. They channeled the power of peace into collective action, confronting oppression without violence, yet with undeniable force. In these movements we see Ono’s vision fulfilled: peace made powerful, peace made united, peace capable of reshaping nations.
O children of tomorrow, learn this teaching well: peace will not prevail by words alone. It must be made strong, organized, and purposeful. To hope for peace without building its structures is to stand unarmed before an army. But when those who love peace bind themselves together with the same determination as those who wage war, then hope becomes reality. For unity multiplies power, and conviction becomes unstoppable when shared by many hearts.
Therefore, take this wisdom into your own life: seek not only to speak of peace, but to work for it with discipline. Join hands with others, even if their vision is not perfectly your own. Do not let criticism divide, but let purpose unite. For only when the peace industry stands as firm and organized as the war industry will humanity truly move beyond endless conflict.
Thus, Yoko Ono’s words endure as a prophecy and a call to arms—not to the arms of war, but to the arms of solidarity. Unless the peace industry is powerful, we’re always going to have war. Let the lovers of peace hear, and let them rise together as one.
CHDo Chi Hoang
Yoko Ono brings up a very uncomfortable truth with this quote. The war industry operates with a clear sense of purpose and unity, whereas the peace industry struggles with internal divisions. But can unity alone make peace possible, or is it about more than just being organized? I wonder if this critique of the peace movement oversimplifies the issue, as global peace is often more complicated than simply having a unified front. What else needs to change?
MCmanh cuong
Yoko Ono’s quote really challenges the way we think about peace versus war. She suggests that unless the peace industry becomes as powerful and organized as the war industry, war will continue. But is it really that simple? What if the problem isn’t just disorganization but a lack of political will or global cooperation? I’d like to know more about how we can overcome the divisions within the peace movement to make it more impactful.
HTHo Huong Thao
I find Yoko Ono’s words to be somewhat discouraging but also insightful. The idea that the peace industry is fragmented because its members are intellectuals who criticize each other is an interesting point. Could the peace movement benefit from a more unified and focused approach, similar to the war industry? What would it take for peace advocates to set aside their differences and come together with the same level of commitment and direction?
TNTuan Nguyen
Yoko Ono’s perspective on the war and peace industries is both provocative and sobering. The contrast she draws between the cohesiveness of the war industry and the fragmentation of the peace movement is striking. How can peace advocates ever achieve real change if they remain disorganized and overly critical of each other? It makes me wonder, is the peace movement too idealistic, or is it just lacking the unity that the war industry has?