My grandpa and I have been talking a lot more. He agrees that it isn't a good system - that for a person to have to either agree with all the wars or with none of them seems unfair. But I've already signed on, and although I don't think that I'll ever actually have to go to war, I guess that I'll go. But I also know that after talking about all of this, I won't really think about violence in the same way again. I know that I wouldn't ever use violence if I was just trying to get something, or if I was upset. I think if I was being hurt or someone I love was being hurt, then I'd use violence, but only to defend ourselves until we were safe. I think it would be ideal if that were the only type of war the America got into, but it also makes sense for the US Army to protect people that can't do it for themselves. That is a sort self defense, isn't it? I'm not trying to find a justification to make the current wars into 'just wars' but I'm just trying to puzzle thorugh what is acceptable and what isn't in my own mind.
In the middle of all this, there's something that really has been bothering me though. There's no way that every guy who get's these cards in the mail has the time or the resources to think about all of this. I mean, most people probably don't really realize that they have a chose about this. If a person's religion doesn't teach about this specifically then how would anyone know that there is such a thing as a conscientious objector? Heck - I can barely spell the word.
One thing that Grandpa said about all this religious stuff totally makes sense to me. He said that he'd been thinking about how justice plays into a war. Grandpa said that in some situations a lot of justice can be done if just a little bit of violence is used, and I've been thinking about the same thing. So why would serving in a situation that used a little violence to help a lot of people and do a lot of good be wrong? I guess that it is something that I will have to deal with if I am ever faced with it and until then I'll just have to hope it never happens.
Well, Brad, don't you think you have any obligation to think about the morality of war even when you are not faced with the imminent prospect of being drafted? It is true that you can't yet drink alcohol, but you certainly can operate a motor vehicle which, if operated inappropriately, can certainly cause death. I think you realize that you have ethical obligations when it comes to driving a car.
ReplyDeleteNow that you will soon turn 18 you will also have the right to vote in elections that will determine the leaders in your local community, state, and nation. You at least have a civic responsibility to think critically about what your nation is doing in your name. While it is clear that you don't really seem to have many deep religious views, the commitments you do have to the Christian tradition also compel a certain amount of ethical reflection about the morality of current wars.
Finally, your blase attitude about signing the form and sending it in is precisely what a nation's military leaders want. They don't want those who may be called to fight to be too reflective about what that might entail. I am surprised, given the history of physical abuse you mention earlier, that you don't have a more sensitive "hermeneutic of suspicion" when it comes to anyone expecting someone else to act violently on behalf of others.
Brad might spend some time trying to figure out if the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are actually wars of self-defense or not.
ReplyDeleteSummary evaluation: This is a hard "case brief" to evaluate because the format is so unconventional. The other thing that makes it hard is that you cast Brad in a pretty unreflective way. I fully understand and agree that most 17-year old boys give even less thought to signing that Selective Service card, but just because something is a certain way doesn't mean that it ought to be that way. I guess I think Martin or Brad's parents should be playing a bigger role here--forcing Brad to confront the morality of war in a way they are not. It is true that most parents do not do so, but that does not mean that is right. Strategically, what could be done to help young men (and women for that matter) reflect on the morality of war? You creatively explore how one young man muddles through this to some extent, but it certainly leaves one wanting. If things ought to be different, how might that come about? Overall this is very good and creative reflection.
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JMS