BF2S Forums Honest Abe

Dying so that wealthy people in power can maintain their power is not my cup of tea.

One of the only wars we've fought that was a true case of defending the nation against imminent threat was WW2.  We really haven't seen a war like that ever since, and hopefully, we never will.

Other than a war like that, yes, I would not lay down my life for this country.  Call it whatever you like, but war is not about defending freedoms.  Many people who enlist believe that they are doing that, but what we're doing in Iraq has nothing to do with freedom or national security.  What we're doing in Afghanistan has more relevance, but even so, I would not choose to participate in that conflict either.

I said earlier that I live by principles.  The principle I hold highest is self-preservation.  You may think of that as selfish or despicable, but know that those in power also live by it first and foremost.

In short, few governments in this world are worthy of the people who willingly give their lives for them.  The men and women who choose to serve this country in the military are far greater in dignity and worth than our government is, and because of that, I feel sorry for them.  I pity the fact that the honor they live by is abused by those in power.  I pity the fact that their lives are thrown to the wind by war profiteers.

In short, I respect them for the sacrifices they are willing to seemingly make for our country, but by the same token, I cannot bring myself to join them because I believe that they aren't really serving us.  They are serving powermongers who would have us believe these wars are for our security.

In truth, war is fought for economic interests.  We have interests overseas that we end up having to defend on the soil of other nations, and while these interests are important for trade, I do not see them as important enough for me to give my own life for them.

The relevance of this to the Civil War is that, like almost all other wars, it was about economics.  I would gladly have left this country in the shape it was in back then because frankly, it wasn't worth saving.  At the time, America had proven to become a failed experiment in democracy.

It wasn't until WW2 that America redeemed itself as a nation, but nowadays, we're falling in integrity yet again due to war profiteering.

Turquoise I don't look at patriotism as loyalty to government. I look at it as pride in the people who make up a nation... There are real everyday hero's who are seldom mentioned on any media outlet. I believe they outnumber the doom and gloom that is thrown in our face everyday. I know that is where we are different. You have a knack for looking for the worst in everything.

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. ~Oscar Wilde

Kmarion wrote:

Turquoise I don't look at patriotism as loyalty to government. I look at it as pride in the people who make up a nation... There are real everyday hero's who are seldom mentioned on any media outlet. I believe they outnumber the doom and gloom that is thrown in our face everyday. I know that is where we are different. You have a knack for looking for the worst in everything.

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. ~Oscar Wilde

I agree that I tend to view things in the most cynical way possible, but it's hard for me not to see things that way.  I wish I could say that I felt the way you do about patriotism, but it sounds more like you have faith in humanity than faith in your country.

I have faith in neither.

One of the only things I do have faith in is that humans will continue to act in ways that they perceive as promoting their self-interests.  So, in a practical sense, it is generally best that most people in a country have some sort of patriotism, so that a certain amount of unity is preserved.  That much I think we can agree on.

The only catch is that I have basically little to no patriotism, but this probably has more to do with my lack of faith in people than in anything our government has done.