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Being a soldier?
TheConfusedOne
New
I am a Buddhist and been taught the basic buddhism principles. My whole family are buddhists too. But I have a very strong desire to be a soldier, more specifically an SAS soldier. It has been my dream for a long time. I'm 17 years old. I am the sort of person who craves for challenges, and being in the most elite special forces in the world will obviously be challenging. I could write a whole book of the reasons I want it. But there is a problem, more like a confusion...can't think of the right word. As a Buddhist I've been taught never to take any life, I never killed any animals or ants from my free will. But being an SAS Soldier is everything I've ever wanted. But there is violence involved, so doing that will completely betray the teachings I received since I was born. A part of me says the killing of a few will save more lives. Another part of me says peoples lives are not judged by your own hands. And also another part of me says I will go to hell for killing, whether their guilty or not. I am very confused, I need answers. Is being a soldier a right thing to do? or not? Or is the answer more than a simple yes or no?
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I guess we could look at it from the most extreme situation. During WWII, what if the Allies had not gone to war against Nazi Germany? What would the world have been like had Hitler been allowed to simply have his way? In the alliance with Japan, the Axis powers would have permanently have taken over the Buddhist cultures of SE Asia permanently, and probably wiped out Buddhism from the planet.
Now some will say, but that's the extreme case. True, but a real situation that, at least to me, doesn't leave much doubt that there are times that we have to set aside some principles.
And perhaps this is a case where you could say that "intention" could be the turning point of your decision. And as a soldier, how will you conduct yourself?
It's a tough one.
You should probably try to ground your morality in Buddhism first before joining special forces, otherwise you might end up getting attached to hatred when facing enemies.
I for one would rather have a Buddhist soldier protecting me!
Check this video out, ConfusedOne. If being a soldier really is your dream, go for it.
I am really confused, perhaps I should consult a person with higher knowledge of this matter?
Your mother has her views, beliefs, superstitions or whatever, and that is her right.
However, according to Buddhism, none of that is relevant. Your actions are, and the consequences of your actions, affect you.
Killing is not Right Action, and the conditions you give, are not Right View.
You violate the first precept in the most terrible way possible.
That's enough, in anybody's book.
It sounds like you’re not cut from the right wood for the SAS.
And that’s a compliment!
Drop the whole idea.
Violence is never a solution. You might not understand it at this point of your life, but I'm pretty sure at one point you will. And that's when it might be a bit late (after you have killed someone or something awful like that).
Violence only creates more violence.
I suggest you watch the movie Gandhi (1982).
Killing will always result in Bad karma, but if the intention arise out of compassion and concerns for the good of the many you will also receive good Karma.
Hence it's very important to solidify your moral characters before joining up. I don't know how much Dharma support you can receive from where your at. But I would recommend spend some serious time in Buddhist practices then make the decision. You can either decided not to join the SAS after your cultivation, or you can solidify your character and become a ethical and moral member of the SAS. One more ethical soldier means one less chance of war crime.
You don't have to choose one or the other, not right now. If this is your big dream, do it. If not, you will never be able to fully embrace Buddhism without a bit of regret for what you didn't do. Later on, you might decide it's not for you.
What you will discover is that all of your fellow soldiers, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, or Atheist, all can have the same moral dilemmas about killing and never lose that. You can be a soldier and not rejoice at the suffering of others, because that's what being a professional soldier is about.
I'd rather have one professional soldier who knows torturing prisoners and killing innocents is wrong, then another Buddhist monk sitting in a temple. You might be able to save lives out there.
15 Jul 2010 ... Soldiers killed themselves at the rate of one per day in June, making it the worst month on record for Army suicides.
Most people in Afghanistan, for example, don't even know about 9/11(poll results, widely reported but I can cite). These people you're fighting aren't necessarily religious fanatics who hate Western ideals; They're victims of an invasion who hate the invaders. Although of course there are those who are religious fanatics that hate Western ideals... But they don't necessarily hold up signs
Then there's other questions: Do you value Democracy? I'm assuming you do, most Soldiers I know do, that's why they join. But it's quite likely if you do make the SAS that you'll be engaging in activities and war that the majority of Britons do not want or support. You could argue on that note that the war is a betrayal of British Democracy as your actions go against the will of the British people.
And if your goals are Democracy or to end Terrorism(again I'm assuming it's one or both), are there not more productive methods or ways of achieving this? The War in the Middle East has increased terror by 8(x multiplied by 8), I believe. In that respect we can say the war is breeding more terrorism, and arguebly counter productive. If these are your goals then being proactive in your community and setting a good example would probably be more beneficial. Supporting Democracy and liberation movements in enemy states, that's arguably more productive. Politicians and Corporations are decisive in making and breaking war, you could become a Politician and use your position to effect change.
But if you're just looking for nothing more than a brotherly bond then you could always join your local Rugby team
For others who asked, the SAS is the Secret Air Service, a special forces regiment of the army. Usually the SAS will refer to the British SAS, but several common wealth nations have an SAS regiment. Australia and New Zealand come to mind. It's one of the most respected regiments in not just the British army, but most the world. John Lofty Wiseman(SAS) trained the first members of the Green Berets and Delta force. The SAS are held in very very high regard and have been mimicked by regiments the world over(Joint Task Force 2, Sayeret Matkal, the KSK, Jægerkorpset, HK SDU, etc etc). So it's more of an achievement by societies standards than being a medic
However, looking at the practicalities, is it not the case that the SAS runs selection courses which only serving soldiers can apply for? And have you considered the Territorial Army as a way of learning a bit about life in the army?
Spiny
Spiny
It may be seen as justifiable self-defence, but it's still wrong.
That's why cases like this are still tried by courts of law.
Because it's both legally and morally wrong.
To my knowledge, there has never been a case where an intruder has been killed by the house-owner and the Police have then said, "Oh that's ok pal, you were completely right to kill him, no worries, case closed. Sorted!"
Killing is wrong.
Such cases are thankfully extremely rare, but I seem to remember a forum member was indeed faced with this situation, and did end up killing the intruder/attacker.
AFAIK, the issue still plays on his mind, and he is conscious of the kamma he has created for himself.
Nobody blamed him for his stance, but even he acknowledged he wished it had not happened in that way.
He did not see the death of the attacker as justified.
for self-defense neutralize without killing if possible.
however, there's whole branches of the army that shouldn't be seen as ethical. anything related to siege warfare, and non-spionage air forces (anything that can bomb).
No, I've never heard of a case where the police dismiss someone who's killed an intruder, but I have heard of cases where the prosecutor declines to press the case.
I suppose I took "wrong" to mean "unjustifiable". Wrong perception on my part perhaps.