[benjaminbrodie]

War does not happen because of any cold, calculating, sinister motive, it happens because of (fear of) boredom. Peace is boring, war is exciting, and gives people a sense of purpose (do you know that suicide rate is way down during war time?) and a chance to be part of something eternal. This is why history is to such a large extent the history of wars. Because that's what capture our morbid interest. This is why war, conflict and violence dominate movies and TVs and fiction.

The effect of boredom on a large scale in history is often underestimated. It is the main cause of war, revolutions, electoral surprises, etc.

[ufmace]

I don't know that I entirely believe this, but I think there might be something to it.