This week I was talking to a friend of mine whose brother is stationed in Afghanistan with the Canadian Armed Forces. I asked her how he ended up being a soldier. Her answer concerned me. Her answer was ‘he always wanted to join the army; he’s always been into weapons and technology.'
Was this a way for him to do what he loves?
My partner’s son is considering joining the army too. He as well has always been into swords and fighting games, has not had too much of an affinity to school work and is now, at 16, being pressured by society into thinking about what he wants to ‘be’. I can tell you; this particular teenager has really no comprehensive knowledge about real world issues or concerns beyond having his cell phone taken away from him. But sadly, he wants to go to war.
In the first and second world wars it was a call to action. It was every citizen stepping up saying this travesty can’t continue and we’re going to have to go duke it out. It wasn’t about wanting to play with guns and technology; it was about right from wrong. Today we live in a climate of war, even though many of us disagree with the premise of killing for good.
War, if compared to any other business in the world, is one of the most successful businesses there is. It is a career choice. In any business, the biggest concern is growth and sustainability. There is a constant flow of money, research and development and people resources flowing to the industry (and yes, it is an industry). What else would we pool billions of dollars into, without proven success and with the moral good being tossed out the window more and more each day? Do you know how many people your tax dollars have killed since 9/11? I shudder to think of my involvement, my involvement without choice.
Blindly we go about our days accepting this reality of war. Out of sight out of mind. We can’t afford to feed everyone. We line up for dangerous pharmaceuticals and food choices available to us which are killing us. We're allowing our natural resources to be obliterated. Are these not really the bigger priorities for you and I?
The Canadian government has this posted on their site:
Our objective in Afghanistan remains the same: to help build a more secure, stable and self-sufficient Afghanistan that is no longer a safe haven for terrorists.
We’re even being asked to donate.
Do you know why the people in Afghanistan are living in poverty? Because we destroyed their home land by going to war with them. Our tax dollars destroyed their home land, and now we’re being asked to pay more to help fix it. We’re pooling all of our resources into rebuilding a nation (apparently although there is no real evidence that we will be successful) and when we’re done, the world will be perfect right? What a ridiculous thought. Why do we accept this?
War is government driven, it is about resources not the common people, it is not about you and I or even the average person in Afghanistan. It is time for us to line up at our government doors and DEMAND a world without war. We need to demand collaboration amongst world leaders. We need to love each other, regardless of religious ideology and most importantly, we need to believe that we can and will find a better way.
I can't think of any better day to start.
Time To Find It by Carrie Armitage
Was this a way for him to do what he loves?
My partner’s son is considering joining the army too. He as well has always been into swords and fighting games, has not had too much of an affinity to school work and is now, at 16, being pressured by society into thinking about what he wants to ‘be’. I can tell you; this particular teenager has really no comprehensive knowledge about real world issues or concerns beyond having his cell phone taken away from him. But sadly, he wants to go to war.
In the first and second world wars it was a call to action. It was every citizen stepping up saying this travesty can’t continue and we’re going to have to go duke it out. It wasn’t about wanting to play with guns and technology; it was about right from wrong. Today we live in a climate of war, even though many of us disagree with the premise of killing for good.
War, if compared to any other business in the world, is one of the most successful businesses there is. It is a career choice. In any business, the biggest concern is growth and sustainability. There is a constant flow of money, research and development and people resources flowing to the industry (and yes, it is an industry). What else would we pool billions of dollars into, without proven success and with the moral good being tossed out the window more and more each day? Do you know how many people your tax dollars have killed since 9/11? I shudder to think of my involvement, my involvement without choice.
Blindly we go about our days accepting this reality of war. Out of sight out of mind. We can’t afford to feed everyone. We line up for dangerous pharmaceuticals and food choices available to us which are killing us. We're allowing our natural resources to be obliterated. Are these not really the bigger priorities for you and I?
The Canadian government has this posted on their site:
Our objective in Afghanistan remains the same: to help build a more secure, stable and self-sufficient Afghanistan that is no longer a safe haven for terrorists.
We’re even being asked to donate.
Do you know why the people in Afghanistan are living in poverty? Because we destroyed their home land by going to war with them. Our tax dollars destroyed their home land, and now we’re being asked to pay more to help fix it. We’re pooling all of our resources into rebuilding a nation (apparently although there is no real evidence that we will be successful) and when we’re done, the world will be perfect right? What a ridiculous thought. Why do we accept this?
War is government driven, it is about resources not the common people, it is not about you and I or even the average person in Afghanistan. It is time for us to line up at our government doors and DEMAND a world without war. We need to demand collaboration amongst world leaders. We need to love each other, regardless of religious ideology and most importantly, we need to believe that we can and will find a better way.
I can't think of any better day to start.
Time To Find It by Carrie Armitage