“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.†– Douglas MacArthur
A paradox in the history of human thought is that peace is worth fighting for. The very irony of that sentence is rarely discussed. Most religions of the world teach that killing another human being is wrong, but the number of wars fought over religion is astounding. Our laws prohibit killing and then we codify the degrees of taking someone’s life into neat categories like “manslaughter†or “murder.†The same governmental entities that protect life also give themselves the authority to take life by execution or war.
Without debating the issue of the morality of war and other ways of legalizing the taking of human life, one fact stands out: the majority of people do not want to die. This becomes a personal standard which allows us to rationalize or justify intentionally causing death. Life is so precious that we never want to lose it and assume that others have the same set of values. By deductive reasoning, capital punishment is a deterrent because “they deserve to die.†Sometimes we are proved to be wrong in this notion when terrorists give up life for a cause that we cannot understand. In reality, the real product of terrorism is not death, it is terror. We are terrified by the thought of dying.
Speaking from the viewpoint of a veteran who served for the purpose of protecting my family and others, I graciously acknowledge the thanks for doing my so-called duty when in fact I never really wanted to die or put myself in danger. The fact that for a period of time I was on the edge of danger and lived gives me purpose today; that perhaps I really am here for a reason. It also gives me the ultimate respect for those who served and did not return home. Hopefully, that was the purpose for which they existed and they did not die in vain. On Memorial Day I will probably get calls from my kids who totally overestimate the significance of my contributions, while I will remember those who saved my life and those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect my freedom.
Thank you for this post! Thank you for your commitment to the country! Thank you for protecting our nation!
Thanks for sharing your comment. Greatly appreciated.
Tom, this is an extraordinary post. While I do appreciate your service, I admire even more that you prefer to deflect the appreciation you are due to others.
But for all that: thank you, Tom.
Thank you, Ed.
Your family does appreciate the fact that you were willing to put your life in danger for our freedom. I also appreciate the ones who were not able to return to their families. Your article has given us many things to think about.
Thanks, Jennie. Over the weekend we saw Garrison Keillor live at the West Hampton Performing Arts Center. Nobody can do a monologue and capture an audience like him. One point he made about Memorial Day was that it began as a celebration of Civil War heroes, then grew to remembering veterans of all wars, and now is observed by most as a day for grilling meat outdoors. Too many people don’t think about it and totally miss the point.
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