Why We War?

A quite interesting answer was provided by the 2008 japanese animation The Sky Crawlers (Sukai kurora), where there is no longer any war between nations on an alternate future Earth.

War has never been completely eradicated in history because its sense of reality is essential to humans. Having wars goin on, out there somewhere, sustains tjhe illusion of peace in our society. And it has to be real, with no charades. Reading about wars in history books isn't enough. That's too much like a fairy tale. If people don't get to see actual deaths on the news, if misery isn't displayed, peace can't be maintained. The significance of peace would be forgotten. People need wars to feel alive... 

Of course if we think about actual wars going on out there, the intent and reasons behind their existence are so said to be mainly based on ethnic or religious diversities, disputes over territory and partially or entirely economic interest etc. etc.

Well, I have never experienced the horrors of war, nor my parents or (as far as I can tell) any of my relatives, but whenever I read or watch on the news about the events going on in Iraq, Syria, Egypt and Afghanistan, just to name a few, I cannot help thinking "Crap! When will peace prevail?"

Yet it strikes me that I tend to react like that because my point of view is the one of an outsider (i.e. I do not live in a war zone) and together with the reaction I have already mentioned above, this seems to be precisely why The Sky Crawlers' explanation makes a lot of sense to me:

people need the tension and excitement of war -- even experienced vicariously -- to truly feel alive. (IMDB's Synopsis for The Sky Crawlers)

In my case, I cannot say I need war to "truly feel alive", but I can safely assume that based solely on my lack of actual war experience I would probably never get to ever know about its existence. It is even possible that I would not be aware of its meaning or purpose, i.e. the connected thread between war and peace, had it not been for the media.

Crazy, I know. But that is how I feel. What about you?