War!!! What's it good for?

While I found all of the turn of events to be confusing, there is some interesting aspects I took away when reading. I believe that today's reading was emblematic of the state of war during those times. During this period, people were constantly settling disputes through battles, while diplomacy seems to take a back seat on many occasions. On top of this, people at this time appeared to be more concerned with the benefits that come from bloodshed, rather than the quest for power and control that many of our representatives seek when going to war. The chapter even states that he recruited men by “…making them gifts and promising them plunder.” (Wilhelm, 59). Rather than seeing battle as a necessary means to an end, they continue to battle for the sake of being promised something of personal worth in return. Arthur seems to be a symbol of those feelings by being the apex of what a great warrior should be, which inspires people to get into battle with promising returns. Its interesting to contrast this with contemporary times and how people are convinced now of going to war. Its true that we have benefits and incentives, however, I believe that many people join the military to fulfill a sense of purpose for themselves rather than personal gain. Going to war now is more symbolic of someone’s values instead of what they personally gain out of the experience.