Military strategists and thinkers have used the term "generation-warfare" to describe the four different types of warfare that the world has seen since the invention of smooth-bore muskets.
According to various authors, first generation warfare refers to "line and file" warfare typified by 18th century warfare. Soldiers in this type of warfare are typically tightly regimented, receiving orders in a top to bottom style of hierarchy.
The equivalent of this would be two people challenging each other to "take it outside" and begin a mutual fist fight, complete with social rules and structures. Rules are often followed in this type of warfare, as political implications are overtly very important, perhaps seemingly more so than simply defeating an enemy at face value. As typified in violence in a social setting, the fight itself is a fight between established "egos," rather than for, say, pure survival.
Second generation warfare is almost exactly like first generation, except better small-arms weapons led to the development of indirect fire strategies. This is like two dudes who wants to fight each other, but too chicken to throw punches, so they talk a lot of charta, and push each other, waiting for the other person to back off, or be pulled back by their buddies before they actually start to throw punches.
Third generation warfare is two militaries fighting each other in a fair, square warfare, but also use unconventional techniques and tactics. In world war II, armies of various militaries have infiltrated their enemy's lines and conducted clandestine warfare to reach their objectives. This is like two people fighting each other using jiu-jitsu and other unconventional martial arts.
Fourth generation warfare describes the kind of warfare involving an insurgent group, disrupting or fighting another nation state, or within its own nation state. This is like a body fighting its own viruses and bacterias.
Eventually, radical terrorism is going to be taken care of when the nations use it as an anchoring point to unite and fight terrorism and violence from the seeds, as implied by the last mitzvah of "destroy the seeds of Amalekite." When that happens, it shall lead to what I call 5th generation warfare. Or warfare of the snowflakes.
To us, our biggest challenges are warfare, and violence, in a world where physical violence is cured, either through resurrection or spiritual means, or both. Likely conflict may take on a different form, in the form of snowflake violence. Where our future generation's biggest challenges are, things like being teased, or offended by someone else's hair color. We must remember that, since there's no physical violence to set a standard, that may be devastating for them. So we must coddle them, maybe tell them they're delicate little snowflakes.
There shall be a secret stash, in which we keep a record of all the actual terrible shit we go through in our lifetime, so that whichever of our future generation finds it, shall be shocked at how fucked up we are. And having said that, we should appreciate that our world is not as fucked up as our parents' generation, and that they've done a lot to make our world the way it is. Therefore give them some kavod for that.
