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What is YOUR attitude towards the military?
lotusblue
New
I'm not necessarily looking for a Buddhist attitude, just your own. It's something I've seen a lot of controversy with and I'm curious as to what people's induvidual thoughts are. We live in a society now where the military is used with humanitarian aid and disaster relief just as much as in conflicts and drug busting and the like, however like everthing else in the world it has it's own flaws and corruptions. What do you guys think?
1
Comments
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Earth_Battalion
It concerns me that a military force is considered reasonable, necessary or acceptable.
my attitude towards the soldiers is one of up most respect and appreciation, always has been, always will be. In my estimation the soldier is one of the most screwed of our citizens, sent to fight wars they shouldn't be, then screwed over afterwards by a government that promised basic support and doesn't follow through. Some of the most wise, understanding, tolerant and accepting people I've ever known have been soldiers.
However, I 100% support soldiers and realize that, like us, they are only human. You may not like what they do or why they do it, but they are still people who need an understanding ear; and a shoulder to cry on if need be. It's one of the reasons I'm considering Chaplaincy.
The military must have something going for it to entice millions of people make the choice to join.
It was only through valor and the tremendous sacrifice of lives of the armed forces that the democracies defeated the twin geocidal regimes of Germany and Japan last century.
As for how I feel about it. I have no problem with most individual soldiers. I find them, overall, to be good people with noble intentions and desires to protect others and protect our freedoms.
I have a problem with the war machine the US runs and our belief that everyone around the world is best off how we determine them to be best off, and by golly we are going to make them see that, somehow. I think we stick our nose in places we have no business in while ignoring other atrocities because getting involved doesn't help us somehow.
I think there are far better ways (and organizations) able to provide global disaster relief and that they would be able to purchase the equipment they need that the military provides if we took a small portion of the military budget and gave it to disaster relief organizations.
I also have a problem with the amount of our tax dollars that go to pay for the military while we let people suffer otherwise. The military as a whole wastes and abuses more money than anyone.
Obviously, this is a very complex subject and this is a very simplistic view.
The military is simply societies equivalent to each of our own efforts at protecting the self. I find it hypocritical to hear folks rallying against the military while they remain so unwilling to address their own personal versions of it.
And yet here we are, trying to do what is nearly impossible to do..
That being said, I think that an mandatory enlistment for all citizens between the age of 16 to 21into a military who's main purpose beyond defense would for a rapid deployment of humanitarian aid, would go a long distance towards dealing with both societies and the individual obsession with self protection while making this world a less adversarial place to live.
That said, the volunteer army already has global response forces. A few divisions worth of them that respond to things like the Phillipines or Haiti.
This probably comes from my time long ago in arduous practices in monastery's which has some interesting parallels to the military. Break em down and rebuild them!
I offered the draft as a way to mandate that all people who would hide behind having our young used as cannon fodder, would get an up close personal taste of what that really means, as well as mandating that part of such an education system would be the real movement of humanitarian aid over the meager & sluggish examples that you offered.
It is another way of saying that the military is just a representation of each of our egos.
Since I can't see any way to eliminate either from society at large, what I offered was the way that they could represent more harmlessness than harmfulness to others.
In a separate note,
Do you think that the manner in which our current injured vets are being treated would make any new potential candidates for military service, rethink their plans.
My 17 year old is in several youth action groups where they help rebuild homes and do other community projects as well as working at food pantries and other things. It's invaluable for people to do those kinds of things. However, I think it's short sighted to say everyone should have to do military service. Of the 5 people in our house, only one of us would qualify within the health requirements for the US military.
I think service to the country in some form should be required, or at least as highly rewarded as service in the military. For how many people here join just for the GI Bill money, they could instead perhaps make the same amount of money in benefits in the Peace Corps, Red Cross, AmeriCorps and so on. But instead, the people who volunteer for those services get either nothing, or a very small stipened and maybe a little college credit. They don't get money to use for college when they are done. It's a strong motivator and we'd be well served, in the US at least, to place the same value and benefit on humanitarian service as we do military.
Firstly, I think it's down to your own personal outlook. There is no right or wrong answer, as is the case with many things. However, I personally think from my experience the military is a force for good. Gone are the days where the aim of a military was to find and conquer. Now it's a case of a country's own defense, and on top of that looking after our allies as well.
I appreciate that the army and marines (mainly, but not exclusively) are a fighting (and ultimately killing) force and those deaths with rest on the shoulders of those servicemen for the rest of their lives. I just wanted to post this question to get some ideas of what others thought
Thanks for the great responses guys
As a direct result of my injuries, my doctor told me in May of last year that if I wished to live to see Christmas, I should stop working immediately. I did. I am still on the sunrise side of fifty years old but have no plans to make it to the other side. Without being able to work, my standard of living has dropped off significantly. I have applied for Social Security Disability but anyone whose gone through it can tell you how long that process can take. Without health insurance, I can see a doctor but can't afford to take the tests necessary to determine a course of treatment. All we have are symptoms - we can't determine the cause.
My wife and I live in a converted shed without running water or electric heat. We live a few miles from the Canadian border and have seen some cold days up here. We burn whatever I can gather, but my strength is gone so it often isn't much. Last month we ripped up old clothes for toilet paper.
Honestly, I've no resentment toward the military any longer. And, also honestly, I'm the happiest person I know personally. I considered deeply before posting this because I am not looking for sympathy. Life is fine and I'm enjoying every day I've got. That said, many people have positive experiences in the military but if I was faced with the choice today, knowing that this was a possible outcome, I wouldn't do it.
I think that a VA really testifies about the value that a countries political/business place on the war machinery over the folks that are chewed up by it's operation.
Calling the VA contemptible and incompetent is accurate but sidesteps the darker issues at why the powers that you are protecting, think so little of your worth when you are no longer able to do that.
What was that introductory speech about the Statue of liberty? Give us your....
PS Canada is just as appalling in this regard.
My wife and I were just kids when she was given a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. She was fifteen years old. We got that overturned four years later but she still spent twenty-four years in prison for a crime that a State Supreme Court Justice, speaking about her case on the record in 2009 said, "If we knew then what we know today, she wouldn't have done a day in prison." Six months later the parole board denied her release and sent her back for another two years.
Insert irony: there are 2576 cases of sentences of Life Without the Possibility of Parole worldwide given to juveniles. 2569 of them are in the United States. Ironic that I went eight years where the only person on Veteran's Day who wished me Happy Veteran's Day was a person who was suffering a fate almost exclusively reserved for children in the country I was sworn to protect.
My point is, it is not just the powers that be who look upon us as expendable when they no longer need us. It is also society at large. Just the other day, a veteran's package was voted down that fifty years ago, no politician who voted it down could have been re-elected. Today, it won't matter to the electorate.
US Soldier in Vietnam
If nothing else it's a good thought provoking read
"No, posterity. You will never know how much it cost us to preserve your freedom. I hope that you will make a good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in heaven that I ever took half the pains to preserve it."
poor John is rolling over in his proverbial grave right about now ahaha.
@vinlyn
In Canada,
my inlaws (2nd world war) vets can't use all the benefits they are being offered while
the wounded Vets from more recent wars fall into a different category that are being very poorly being served. It is good to hear from you Vinlyn that this isn't the case in the USA.
Personally, however, I feel that there shouldn't be VA hospitals (*) and that vets should be able to receive their care at any hospital. Too many vets don't live near a VA hospital. *There might be a need for specialized VA hospitals for medical needs that are unique to vets.
While I agree with the various quotes about freedom, I'm don't think we can say all our fighting really has had to do with protecting American freedom. That tends to be the tag line we are sold but I don't buy it. In some cases yes, our freedom and the freedom of others. But in many other cases the wars weren't necessary for the reasons we were told. Freedom is a wonderful thing, and I have no doubt those of us who sit and talk about it don't understand it in the same way as though who fight for it. But if they think every war we've ever fought was to protect American freedom, I don't agree with that.
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
I could also see how some may see the foolhardiness in this: fighting and dying for a concept as nebulous as nationalism.
Oh how true!! But after the disaster of Vietnam, a draft would remind the powers that be, especially those who served in that war, to be not so willing to send fathers, mothers sisters and brothers to a war at whims.
Some Buddhists are killing soldiers.
Emptiness really is form. What do ya know . . . and now back to the serious matter of suffering.
Too, there will, as there always has been, exceptions. I think a designation of 'single mom' will certainly be one of them. Since getting pregnant and not informing the father is relatively simple for most women, I suspect that if we tried to make women register for the draft and there was any indication that we may implement it, we would face a baby boom the likes of which have never been seen before.
Which of course, will cause an entirely new set of problems. I suspect that we cannot legislate away suffering.
It has nothing to do with the belief that the draft would reduce the likelihood of war. I have the belief that when you have conscripted troops, those of power will not be so quick to send in troops and be so quick to declare war. After the Vietnam fiasco, there are many who were drafted serving now in congress, and cabinet positions. Doesn't anyone notice that those who want to push the war button are those who obtained numerous draft deferments in Vietnam? With what we had a conscripted military, those people wouldn't be so livid to send troops all over the world.
The issue I'm trying to imply is that, due to the fiasco's with Vietnam, and Korea, today it would be hard pressed to easily establish wars like Iraq and Afghanistan so easily with and keep it going as long with a conscripted military.
In fact Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, and a few other modern nations of Europe have a mandatory military service period.