Who is the father of all things?

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I once heard my professor say “War is the father of all things.” This quote, however, intriguing and plain, struck me as very deep and obvious You hardly ever talk about a story, whether it be one involving money, religion, the economy, architecture, or human behaviour, without mentioning how conflict shaped it. The topic I find most fascinating about how conflict shaped their history is that of the financial system and architecture globally.

Did you know that after Hitler’s general successfully invaded France and took over the city, Hitler further instructed his general to burn down the city The most intriguing aspect of this tale is how neither the general who invaded the city nor the defensive army that fled from it desired to destroy the city. ?The defending army left because they didn’t want their precious history; the most beautiful city in the world; destroyed. so they decided to cede the city with little resistance. The general who invaded the city, after receiving orders to burn the city, contacted the allied forces, his enemies, informing them to seize the city back from him. He did this because he didn’t want to be remembered as the man who burnt down the most beautiful city in the world.

On the financial system aspect, it's interesting to highlight that most of the world does its international trade with the US Dollar. this happened after the Brenton woods Conference. the real related reason why this happened is because the United States won the Second World War. You probably know that financial houses buy government bonds for business, business people talk about their risk profile and how government bonds are safe and have low interest rates, but did you know that government bonds, also known as war bonds, a debt securities issued by the government to finance its military operations during times of war. Investments were made by making emotional appeals to patriotic citizens to lend money to the government.

When you feel broke, remember governments go broke too. There are social issues tied to resources and finances. When we look at third-world countries, for instance, Nigeria. you think about the myriad of issues, the loss of virtues and value systems, unbridled corruption, lack of development, etc. you realize these issues are tied to our losses or gains in war, the way we have been defined is not our identity, Nigeria, for instance, is capable of so much more. This is a society that is home to several ethnicities, ethnicities that were hubs of immense moral virtue.

I have deviated from the point, let's get back to it. Have you been to the Hagia Sophia? What inspires you most about it? You may ask, what is the Hagia Sophia?

It is an architectural masterpiece, a key masterpiece of the Byzantine era, built and located in current-day Istanbul, turkey. The design is filled with architectural elements such as the dome, flying buttress, and the use of stone in its construction. you may look at such a building and be inspired by its aesthetic and all the forms it wears. But like all things, when you look a little bit deeper, you discover more hidden beauty in the details. The building is the epitome of the quote “Architecture is frozen music and music is liquid architecture”. people debate about how different their religions are and how they worship different God in different styles. what makes this building most intriguing is the fact that it has both been a church and mosque. That is to say, both Christians and Muslims believed it was a suitable place to commune with their God. You may wonder, how did this happen and what could cause it, and your guess would be as good as mine, ”WAR”. The building was built between 532 to 537 AD, it was originally the principal church of the Byzantine Empire, located in its city’s capital, Constantinople, a city that takes its name after a king who was said to assemble the texts of scripture into what we now know as the bible. The city was later conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1453 and the building was converted into a mosque. Attempts were made in relatively recent history to make it a museum and repository of all human history, that decision was annulled and the building was turned back into a mosque.

This history, however intriguing and exciting, can also serve as an analogy or metaphor for every other concept, be it financial or societal. It expresses the dynamics at play with the changing times, almost rhythmic if I may say.

We may look at things and talk about what they are or what purpose they serve us, but all these things are children of war. The description we give them isn't their identity. We could discuss if Hagia Sophia is more of a mosque, church, or museum. We may talk about how government bonds are an asset class located in your cooperate portfolio or how Paris is a city of love. But if these things could speak, they would tell you who they are and you probably would not agree.

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The only thing left is the unification and marriage of all things through "war" as the world increasingly shifts to a place of globalization or nationalism, a place where we understand ourselves better and speak in a language we can all understand, trade money we can all agree on its value, and rule an almost divine body.The future may not be defined by war; instead, perhaps we will be waiting for the mother of all things to arrive. After all, the only thing that is permanent is change.

- Onaopemipo Dixon

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