You are not going to like this.
On the demonstrable virtues of not caring if children die, on hardening your mind for war, and other things we can no longer avoid discussing.
Beware that you are ready before you pass this seal.
Let us begin with a debate between a peaceful, gentle soul, and me. The topic could be Israel's war, or ours in Iraq, or -- if they have the heart for it -- the one to come.
The gentle soul -- how I respect her! -- will begin by pointing out how many innocents have died in the recent wars, and especially the children, who are the most obviously innocent. She will point out figures for Iraq, for Afghanistan, for Lebanon, and ask: "How can you justify this? These poor children, who might have been good men, good women, lain in the cold earth?"
We have all had the conversation that far, have we not? We are accustomed to reply: "But the enemy is the one that targets children. We try our best to avoid hurting children. That makes us better. Furthermore, the enemy hides himself among children. As a result, in spite of our best efforts, sometimes children die on the other side also. But again, it is not our fault -- it is his fault. He endangers them."
She replies: "But how can you justify their deaths? Regardless of how hard you try, will you not kill them? Some of them? Should we not choose peace instead?"
Let us consider that.
The rest is here
2 comments:
I never post about the latest bombing in Iraq because Iraq is a warzone. In war it is inevitable that people will die. Some of those people will inevitably be children. That's life.
The only reasonable question is, is the war necessary to preserve and promote justice in the world?
If it is, then it is incumbent upon good people to fight that war to win. Because if good people do not win a war to preserve and promote justice, then bad people will establish more injustice.
Peace is not the absence of war, it's the presence of justice.
Heard that once. Good quote.
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