About war
I believe that warfare in the modern context can simply no longer be justified. It is simply too possible for "collateral damage" to result from collective violence. The bombs and other technology that exists today is simply too powerful for us to reasonably justify using, there is no doubt that whenever it is used, children die. I reject all non-initatory violence, but I am at the point now where I believe the only way to live ethically in modern times is by a radical application of pacifism. Indeed as Jesus said he who seeks to save his life shall lose it. I don't care whether or not I live or die, I just want to exit this life without any blood on my hands. I can say at this point in my life I have no blood on my hands, but I am not sure I could say that participating in modern warfare. In ancient times warfare was a "close quarters" affair where men would line up on a battlefield and shoot or stab each other, there was little possibility an innocent child could end up in the way. Ever since the airplane was invented this is none of the case. I simply don't feel warfare can be justified for any reason anymore, and must be avoided at all costs. In the light of the technology exists today, every argument humans can think of is simply too petty to justify warfare. Indeed even the wars the humanitarian interventionists justify cannot be justified on these grounds, since it simply rakes up the body count.
So what do you think, does the risk of massive collateral damage make warfare no longer justifiable in modern times?
So, what to do?
I believe that warfare in the modern context can simply no longer be justified. It is simply too possible for "collateral damage" to result from collective violence. The bombs and other technology that exists today is simply too powerful for us to reasonably justify using, there is no doubt that whenever it is used, children die. I reject all non-initatory violence, but I am at the point now where I believe the only way to live ethically in modern times is by a radical application of pacifism. Indeed as Jesus said he who seeks to save his life shall lose it. I don't care whether or not I live or die, I just want to exit this life without any blood on my hands. I can say at this point in my life I have no blood on my hands, but I am not sure I could say that participating in modern warfare. In ancient times warfare was a "close quarters" affair where men would line up on a battlefield and shoot or stab each other, there was little possibility an innocent child could end up in the way. Ever since the airplane was invented this is none of the case. I simply don't feel warfare can be justified for any reason anymore, and must be avoided at all costs. In the light of the technology exists today, every argument humans can think of is simply too petty to justify warfare. Indeed even the wars the humanitarian interventionists justify cannot be justified on these grounds, since it simply rakes up the body count.
So what do you think, does the risk of massive collateral damage make warfare no longer justifiable in modern times?
So, what to do?