On Sunday I attended the GI Film Festival at the invitation of a friend who is a strong supporter of our troops. The festival showcased independent films about the lives of the men and women who fight for our freedom. Many of these films provide behind the scene stories and perspectives that you cannot get from the media or Hollywood films. Some films may be inspiring and honor the members of the armed forces; others highlight the trials and tribulations that these people face abroad and at home. However, the film I found to be most intriguing (of the handful I saw) was a controversial one.
Soldiers of Conscience is a documentary about soliders who face the challenge of deconflicting their orders to kill from their moral beliefs against it. Many soldiers do not want to kill, but this story was about four specific conscientious objectors - men who actually refused military orders to kill. I don't want to go into the details of their stories here (that's what the film is for), but I thought some interesting points were brought up by these men. Those who support war say, what if no one tried to stop Hitler in WWII? These conscientious objectors say, well, what if the Nazis refused to kill in the first place? As ideological as this may sound, they also point out that it is possible for humanity to eventually realize that what they are doing is wrong. Slavery is an example. People eventually realized it was wrong and it was abolished. All it takes is a few brave souls to stand up for what they believe in to get the momentum going.
Imagine a world without war, without violence. Every dispute is settled diplomatically. It can start with us. Sure, we still need to be able to defend ourselves if necessary. But what if we never waged war even when provoked and instead found some other way to seek justice? What if we spend the money that would go towards fighting a war in other ways that will improve our country? We can use more public transportations in this country. We can revive the Social Security system. We can better educate our children who will become tomorrow's leaders. We can invest in clean energy technologies. Possibilities are endless.
Those who want to fight will find any excuse to fight. Those who want peace can find a way to not fight.
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