i'm a strictly defensively oriented hetro man, so i choose to defend my country by serving as a volunteer in it's resistance ranks.
currently, or since 9/11, i volunteered as online peace activist, and i've been assertive in my tone as an opinionmaker towards countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Australia, The UK, The USA and China (that last one on Trump's cue by the way).
that means i'm one of those guys behind the curtains that decides where the war hungry get sent, when, and when we pull out of unwinnable wars.
and don't get me wrong, i've just got minor influence and i know it, but still..
i'd like to know : why do men choose to fire bullets and grenades at soldiers of another country?
why do you force me to figure out where to assign troops and how many civilian lives to put at risk of serious harm or death?
why do you force your politicians and diplomats into wars?
because ultimately, i think the root of this problem is simply our violent greedy nature.
Pacifism is a great ideal. It is a beautiful thing. But it has a single flaw. That flaw is it requires everyone to agree to it. If one person does not, or chooses not to embrace it, the remainder are victims of the bloodthirsty one.
I joined the Army for a number of reasons. It is one of my beliefs that it is never just one. It is never one thing that triggers a war. It is never one thing that motivates a crime.
I have never considered myself a warrior for peace, or anything like that. That is stupid. A soldier doesn’t fight for peace. It is an unachievable goal. Peace is found through the efforts of diplomats and reasonable people gathered around a table and talking. A soldier comes into the equation when someone decides to test the mettle of the Soldiers.
Right now, Putin is pushing his troops forward, trying to subjugate the people of Ukraine. The truth is that you never get enough treasure or plunder to cover the expenses of war. But Putin is doing it anyway. The advocates for his actions claim a lot of excuses as to why, but it is not that hard to understand. His motivations are the same as the Mafia taking over neighborhoods. The same as any criminal empire. Power and control.
The soldier signs up because of a lot of reasons. The Lord knows I did. But one of those reasons is that the risk of death or dismemberment is bad. But other things are worse. The risk of subjugating the people is worse.
Through the history of our world, war after war has been fought. Not just the Eurocentric wars. Through Africa as one group decides to subjugate, or eliminate a rival. The strong stomping on the weak. This is true through the history of Asia, China has collapsed many times, and gone through many dynasties. Wars were fought to control areas, and people.
But take a look at Nature, and you’ll see the truth of the Universe. Existence is defined by struggle.
Plants fight for dominance in an area. Weeds trying to choke out the other plants to increase their numbers. Granted this is not a considered or intelligent plan. It is the way things are however. Animals, and insects fight for dominance of an area. Those beautiful Orca’s, slaughter other animals, and not just for food, oftentimes for amusement. Wolves do the same thing to other animals.
Nature is violent, brutal, and often horrific as species struggle to survive. Man is an animal, and if we wish to continue surviving we have to adapt, or win. Adapt to survive in an area the enemy won’t want, or make the cost so great that the enemy dare not attack.
Let’s explain it this way. It’s almost unheard of that someone would walk up and rob a cop. Steal his car, or wallet or whatever. Female cops don’t face the risk of rape or abuse. They have a gun and authority to use force to defend themselves.
So thugs and crooks look for easier targets. And who are they going to target? The woman walking out of her 7:30 advanced karate class, who is carrying a shot gun? The woman who is leaving with a dozen friends? Or the woman who is strolling down the road alone?
We all know the answer. The thugs are going after those they can most easily dominate. They’re going to avoid the one who is anything but an easy target.
The animal kingdom shows that the strong dominate the weak. Right now, on beaches in the Southern Oceans, large Seals are resting. A single seal on the beach is the Beach Master. The dominant male. Other males don’t get the women, the Beach Master has them all. The other males are either subservient, driven out, or dead.
A soldier stands between you, and the danger. A soldier is willing to fight, kill, and potentially die for you. They don’t want to kill. Oh I’m not going to lie and say none want to,, but those are like the general population, a small fraction of the total. Most are just good kids from neighborhoods and towns around the nation, and are willing to fight and accept the risk of death for another. They don’t want to kill.
I was one of them. I understand them. I know what motivates them. They would much rather live in peace. They would much rather nobody comes to test them. Ukraine didn’t want war. They wanted peace. They wanted a chance at prosperity. But they were unwilling to be subjugated by a thug. They were willing to fight for their own futures.
Just like every animal, and plant, and insect on earth.
