Beating Swords into Plowshares

In the book of Isaiah, predicting a time yet to come when all of mankind will live in peace, and God will rule on the earth, the prophet Isaiah says: “And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:4) Obviously, the time in which nations do not war against each other has not yet arrived. However, there may exist certain precursor events in our modern time which indicate that mankind draws closer and closer to such a time of world peace.

The writers of the books of the Bible often used symbolic language to communicate abstract ideas. They often used concrete images to stand for a general tendencies, or to represent principles. In the above quoted scripture, Isaiah says that people shall beat swords into plowshares, (the part of a plow that cuts the soil) and their spears into pruning hooks. What do these images represent?

We could interpret these actions by saying that in a time future to when Isaiah wrote, since mankind will no longer wage war, people will also abolish the weapons and tools of war. However, on closer inspection of this verse, we can see another possible interpretation. Isaiah's prophecy might indicate that at some future time, in preparation for the predicted time of global peace, people will increasingly adapt the tools, weapons, and technologies of war, to serve civilian and peacetime needs.

Throughout history, the habit of mankind to wage war has driven much of the development of science, technology and invention. Man sought to develop better weapons and more advanced military machines so that he could more effectively defeat his enemies, conquer territory, and extend governmental control.

Also, the military establishment of many states took tools and technologies that the people had developed for agriculture, commerce, and engineering, and adapted them for martial application, especially during times of war, because they discovered that these tools and technologies helped one state's military gain advantage over another.


Modern mankind continues this tradition. War has driven the development and funding of many technologies that we commonly see today. War, or the threat of war, has driven the development of technologies like radar, rocketry and nuclear power. However, as these technologies have matured, people also found many civilian uses for them. Radar, used to detect enemy airplanes, helps a ship navigate. Rocket engines, a necessary component of missiles, can also propel astronauts into space, and communication satellites into orbit. Man uses the science of splitting the nucleus of the atom to produce explosions that can destroy entire cities, and he uses this same science for the more peaceful purpose of generating electric power. Our ancient and modern history has shown us that many technologies that have broad military application, also have broad civilian and peaceful application as well.


But what can we say about the adaptation of ancient military tools and technology for peaceful ends? Can ancient and "outdated" technology serve useful functions for modern society. In our modern society, where our militaries use guns, smart bombs and stealth planes to conduct war, the need to make or study weapons and technologies of ancient warfare, such as swords, spears, and catapults, might seem irrelevant. Many people today think that we can use such relics of the past for nothing more practical than movie props or museum displays.

However, modern man has increasingly shown an interest in all aspects of his past. New technologies and discoveries daily expand our understanding of ancient peoples, their customs and laws, and their technologies. Thousands of people research their ancestral genealogies. Scholars and laymen alike search out the literature, languages and philosophies of past civilizations, hoping to find wisdom that will improve modern education.

Many people today study the technology of ancient warfare with great interest and even practice the techniques of constructing and using its ancient weapons. Apparently this great and universal interest in the intellectual, cultural and physical aspects of mankind's history fulfills a need beyond mere curiosity. I believe that this interest in our past is inevitably leading mankind to a time when the entire family of mankind will live in peace. Therefore, just as we need to adapt much modern military technology for non military uses, we must also adapt some of the technology and knowledge of the ancient warfare to serve modern peaceful purposes.

Many of the traditional martial arts that we can studied today descended from ancient methods and systems of combat and warfare. Ancient armies used weapons such as swords, spears, and siege towers in battle. As time passed into the 18th , 19th and 20th centuries, and modern weapons replaced traditional weapons on the battle field, much of the ancient knowledge of the making and use of traditional weapons and devices was lost. However, some societies, such as those of the orient, continue to preserve and pass down a fair amount of knowledge of the techniques and construction of ancient weapons. Thus, if a person studies a martial art founded in one of those traditions, he might have opportunity to study some of the weapons of that tradition, such as the sword, the staff, the shield, and the spear.

One may rightly question the value of studying ancient or traditional weapons, as these weapons have no practical value in modern warfare. Also, in many places the law forbids people to carry such weapons in public. Therefore, if a person suffers an attack by another person, he is not likely to be carrying any of these kinds of weapons, and thus he cannot defend himself with these traditional weapons.

Though traditional weapons have no practical value in modern warfare, and have little or no practical value in self defense situations, they are practical for other purposes. For example, a person who can skillfully use a sword, could adapt a stick or broom handle and skillfully use it as a weapon if he needs to fend off an attacker. Also, the traditional martial arts have extensively employed traditional weapons to help their students improve their martial skills. Students study weapons to develop increased coordination and fluidity of motion, gain a better sense of timing, increase their ability to concentrate, and improve their muscular strength and physical endurance. Studying weapons can provide zest and interest to a students training regimen, and help with preventing boredom or burnout. Also, since our ancestors used these ancient weapons, studying an ancient weapon might help a student in modern times connect with his ancestors, and root him in the genealogy of his ancestors. Thus, instead of using ancient weapons for the unpleasant business of war or battle, we can use them to promote very desirable qualities in people that help us live healthy from day to day.

We can see another important example of the adaptation of ancient methods and tools of war to peace, in the emergence of the modern martial art of Aikido. The founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), conceived of Aikido as a martial art of peace, based on love. The philosophy of Aikido says that a person should defend himself from any attack, but in the process of defending himself, not seriously injure the attacker.

To achieve this, Ueshiba took several kinds of violent techniques found in other martial arts, particularly the art of Aiki-jujutsu, and modified those techniques so that they were both non violent and yet still very effective as a means of self defense.

Many of the techniques of Aikido, as well as Aiki-jujutsu, derived from, or show a close relation to, the sword fighting techniques of ancient Japan. Because of this close relationship between the sword techniques, and the empty hand techniques, practicing the ancient sword techniques can very much help practitioners achieve proficiency in the empty hand techniques of Aikido.

Through developing Aikido, Ueshiba did, took both ancient military empty hand combat methods, and ancient weapons tactics, and adapted them to serve the more peaceful purposes of self defense and social harmony. Thus, he took some of the methods and technology of ancient combat and adapted them to serve mankind in non combative ways.

We can see another example of the adaptation of ancient systems of combat for peaceful purposes in the increasing popularity of the art of taichi. Mystery and legend shrouds the origins of taichi. Whoever originally developed taichi, made it an effective system of combat. As such, warriors, monks and farmers used aspects of the art in both large scale battles, and small scale physical conflicts. However, as a side benefit, practitioners discovered that daily practice of the techniques and training methods of taichi gave them marked improvements in their overall health. Originally, the system of taichi had many physically demanding stances and techniques. Later certain developers of taichi modified some of the more severe stances and techniques of the art, making them softer and gentler. These changes allowed more people to perform the art, people who did not have great strength or physical stamina, or who had physical disabilities.

Through time, as a result of modifications and adaptations, several different schools and branches of taichi appeared. Taichi became more accessible, and more and more of the population of China could practice it. In China today, many people, both young and old, practice taichi. As Chinese people came to America and Europe, they brought taichi with them and taught it to westerners. In America taichi's popularity continues to rise, especially as a method of reducing stress, alleviating pain, and increasing overall fitness. Though taichi can be used as a system of combat, a large number of the practitioners of taichi today practice it mainly as a means of improving their physical and mental health. In fact, many practitioners of taichi do not know any of the combat applications of taichi.

In this essay, I have tried to give a few examples that show how people have adapted some of the methods and tools of war, and turned them into useful methods and tools for peaceful, non combative purposes. We can liken this phenomenon to the symbolism in Isaiah's prophecy of beating swords into plowshares, and spears into pruning hooks.

The vision of Isaiah where God blesses man to achieve a state of universal peace and harmony, a condition devoid of all forms of war and personal contention, is not an unrealistic dream.

However, at present, all of the peoples of the earth would find it impossibly difficult to simply disarm, and all at once, cease their envyings, strifes, malice and prejudices towards one another. More likely, mankind will have to go through some sort of refining process, a process made up of smaller, more easily taken steps, before we can arrive at such a state of global peace and happiness.

As we step through that refining process, we will have to see how each of us plays a part in the great story of the human family. As more people see and understand this story, and as more people see where they fit into this story, they will also begin to learn the great lessons which this story teaches.

And that story teaches us that war and physical conflict do not give lasting solutions to mankind's problems. That story teaches us that we must overcome our contentious natures in order to achieve lasting peace and happiness. As an objective in the overall goal of overcoming our contentious natures, mankind will more and more adapt the tools, technologies and methods of war and conflict, both from ancient and modern times, to meet the needs of civil peace, family harmony and personal health. If this tendency truly exists, then mankind, especially modern day mankind, has already begun to take some significant steps towards the fulfillment of the predictions of Isaiah.

N. Watson
July. 2006.