ooops, I was thinking about this statement: "and the soldier has a better guess than us because he has "seen their hearts and minds"? I don't think the soldier really has, he is not trained to do so. He sees them as he is supposed to see them.
It's alright... I don't think you necessarily have to be trained to see their hearts and minds. If that was the case, then we wouldn't be qualified either, much less judge his observations.
im peaceful watching the rockets games and eating some grub. doesnt make the world a better place. i see where you are coming from, its good to be a peaceloving person, but you've got to recognize that there are people who dont like peace. they just want a peace, so you got to pull out your piece. i could be a peace loving person who can get car jacked. i can say 'hey car jacker, i believe that society wronged you and has not given you an opportunity to succeed. i believe that you need to do this to survive etc'... I still would get car jacked or shot. if he sees that i'm packing some heat, he'd think twice about car jacking me. then we'd not mess with each other, thus avoiding an incident ..peacefully.
Every action you make, no matter how small, penetrates the universe and has a profound effect on it. I think everyone likes peace until it gets in the way of that in which they desire. I think if you really dedicated yourself to being peace (I'm not saying I have) you will see situations like carjackings differently. You can only react to those situations as you are prepared to do so. It takes practice.
peace wouldn't exist without war. good wouldn't exist without evil. think about it, if EVERYONE stole, then stealing would not exist. if everyone told lies, then lies would not exist. the point is, this is reality and you wishing that all would be peaceful is not realistic. if you were an animal rights activist and strict vegan, and you went surfing and were eaten by a great white, guess what? the great white doesnt care that you love him. wars will happen and wars will end, peace will happen and peace will end. its the cycle of life. YOU CANNOT CHANGE THIS. dude, i'm dropping so much my philosophy on you, you need to absorb and learn from it.
didn't you learn anything from Planet of the Apes? Even the apes ended up killing other apes. war is reality. the war against other countries, the war within ourselves. people don't like it, but people must accept it. this war will end, troops will go home. NOT because people dont like it, just because its a natural process. The Civil War ended, the Crusades ended, World Wars end. new wars begin.
That philosophy is only a shallow observation of the world we live in. Justice, morals, lies, truth, etc. are only words that mean different things to different people. Good and evil, there is no such thing.
Peace is not the absence of war, it's a state of mind. I can change myself. I can be peace and transmit peace.
good and evil exist. if everyone was good, good would not exist. if everyone was evil, evil would not exist. look at the most peaceful man on TV, KANE from KUNG FU. he was a buddist monk. but he knew evil exists, so was prepared to deal with evil when evil arrises. understand grasshopper??
What is natural is our own desire and suffering. Until we uproot war from our minds they will manifest.
We still haven't nuked Iraq yet? We nuked Japan and they turned out fine. In fact, my inside sources told me they thought it was funny. It's kind of like pulling a bandaid. Just a real quick........nuke the middle east...and all the problems go away. -The Potter has spoken
Yes, and when it is all over, we can say "well, we had to destroy Iraq to save it." to quote Full Metal Jacket, "Those poor dumb bastards would rather be alive than free." IMO violence only begets more violence. By saying our mission is over when we kill all the "evil people" (the insurgents) assumes there is a finite number of insurgents, and that they were born as hate-filled evil terrorists. However, there is reason to believe that hateful and violent individuals/cultures are made by their life experiences, not born that way. It would be a mistake to believe that by perpetrating violence on a nation, we can make peace.
Sam he meant "is" in a figurative way...in this case it means that he has done this in the past. It depends on what the meaning of the word "is", is.... maybe you understand that line better. nevertheless, thanks again for your rich contribution to this thread.
The letter indicates that the gentleman IS in south carolina. He WAS in Iraq, but at the time of writing, was no longer there. Disagree? Or do you need more detail? At least somebody will learn something from this thread this way.
