i pretty much just read Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried in one night. the ending’s really eye opening; i won’t spoil it for you. but the sheer thought that something so life changing can happen even at such a young age, can never prepare you for the horrors caused by terror and injustice.
But how can you define injustice? What grounds do you have to judge if someone is unjust?
Yasser Arafat, someone who is widely acclaimed as a terrorist, a radical, and anti-semite, was quoted saying that, "Whoever stands by a just cause cannot possibly be called a terrorist." simply stating that from his own viewpoint, he is fighting his just cause, and he cannot possibly be a terrorist.
Relating back to the book, the lines between the just and unjust in the Vietnam war becomes exceedingly blurred. How can you say that the Americans were the just? nor can you boldly claim that the VietCong were the more ethical group. True, American soldiers killed boy soldiers, but their job comes with a certain paranoia, where discernment between friend and foe is skewed. A simple farmer by day can be Charlie by night. yet, the Vietnamese forced their children to fight, saying that if they didn’t, they bring dishonor to themselves, their family and their village. Therefore we are just and they are just, both with our own honor. However, these are the soldiers. This is who they are. They are the pure and moral ones in this war.
Recently my brother showed me this song called Handlebars by Flobots. it’s a song about how one man can really do anything he can, and how he can lose control doing so. but it starts out small. he says that "I can ride my bike with no handlebars" which is hard for a child. and once you do that [as a kid] you feel like you’re unstoppable, you feel like you can do anything. however, the song progresses, gradually becoming more and more mature, and saying that he can "lead a nation with a microphone" until it gets more and more extreme, betraying mankind, saying that he can make anyone go to prison, just because he doesn’t like them. and finally it leads to the fact that, once you can really do anything, "I can lead a planet to a holocaust". this sad, slow progression of the corruption of power brings me to my next point.
If the soldiers, be it uniformed or boy soldiers, are the just cause is it safe to say that the officials in charge of our country are the unjust of the world? are they so obsessed with themselves as being in a position of power that any attack on their prominent well being is cause enough to send your troops out? Just like Herbert Hoover said, "Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die."
the "older men" mentioned are hardly even responsible for their actions. they have no part in the war except for the declaration of.
Like in the Serj Tankien video of Empty Walls, he relats the War on Terror to childs play. and that this seemingly small event, [mind you, i’m not trying to downplay 9/11. it was a tragic event, and i too was greatly affected] can turn into a political clusterfuck of sorts which ends up as a selfish endeavour of personal gain. this is how this argument branches from the War on Terror to the War in Iraq
Bush used 9/11 as an excuse to invade Iraq, even though the ones who attacked us were Afghani terrorists. and on the basis of finding Weapons of Mass Destruction, we invaded a country with no right, i believe. and although we didn’t find any WMD’s, we continued to root out Saddam Hussein’s control over the Iraqi people, shifting all blame - shifting all focus - from Osama bin Laden, unto a person who did do wrongs, but had no hand in the attack on our country. So what part does Hussein play? Where in any of the grand scheme of our wars do morals come into play? we certainly can’t blame the soldiers for doing their job.
So, through my arguments, is it safe to say that the officials in charge are the unjust?
No. They can’t be. The president is an American. we are Americans. there is no greater honor to me, than to be an American. and i’m sure that feeling is inherent in each one of us, and especially so in the president. Sure he may not be the brightest there was, but he shares a certain love for the country and a love for its people. yet, there are times where adversity comes along and challenges the very ideals this great country was based on, and our protection is key. by sending us to war, officials only look to protect the country they love. this alone is a just cause. the soldiers enlist to fight in order to protect their beloved country as well. again another just cause.
So am I saying that war is just?
No.
But how can war be unjust, though the ones that take part in it are moral and ethical people?
Everything’s circumstantial. we are constantly placed in situations of conflict. no one wants war, and no one needs war; however war is a fact of our time. Ralph Waldo Emerson argues that "The real and lasting victories are those of peace, and not of war." Whilst Thomas Jefferson argued that "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
So who is righter?
Neither. it is true that the true meaning of victory is that of a long withheld era of peace, yet, the fact remains that the idea of war is prevelant today, and shows no signs of slowing down, and there comes times where our freedoms are at stake, and there are no options left than to fight for them.
So what is war?
To me, it’s honor. you have the chance to prove yourself as an honorable person. war gives you the ability to show yourself as a warrior, a protector of your country. to me, there is no greater honor that fighting valiantly for one’s country. Then again, i’ve read the Hagakure too many times, and i come from a long line of military-men, of which served in multiple wars.
So in the general scheme of it all, what is war?
Since it’s impossible to deny that it’s just.
Since it’s impossible to deny that it’s unjust
Since it’s impossible to tell the difference between good and evil
Since it’s impossible to know the outcome of a war
Since it’s impoosible to see whether or not it will be favorable
Since it’s impossible to know what horrors take place
Since it’s impossible to pin the blame on someone or some group
Since it’s impossible to call someone a terrorist or a demon
What is it really?
All it is. All it ever will be. is the confusing, distressing topic which draws even scholars crazy.
All War really is...
It’s Perspective..
