Control, and the ego, they both seem to go hand in hand don't they? Taking something from the outside and putting it inside to be the center of change, of perspective and possibly even reality as "you" know it. Influence is one thing, but to say that one has "control" over another's actions is quite a bold statement and carries devastating potential. And so my question to all of you is, what would your response be to someone who felt they could impose their "free-will" on your reality? Let's assume World War 3 comes around in January 2010 and the government told you that on X date at Y time you would be leaving to go train and fight. What would you do? Could you do anything? Are you the center of change, or another transformable object in some fallacious ego-consciousness' perspective of control?
What if the person imposing their will doesn't really have free will? Can we blame them for their actions? It seems to me that we should instead blame the actions that caused their action, which is the problem with not having free will. Short of fleeing, suicide, or prison time, what choice do you have in whether or not you are going to war once drafted? I guess I would just sit back and lament the fact that the government has such a stranglehold on the physical, including my body. Try out the power of intention? I dunno.
I would fight if i personally believed in "the cause." I would most certainly go to war with a militia against America and my city, but i wouldn't be easily swayed into invading another country. NPR was saying Canada is going to raise a statue to the draft dodgers in a town many fled too.. I don't know if i think they deserve a statue, because most were probably just scared. It is respectable tho, to only got to war and kill for a cause you believe in.
The Gathering - A Life All Mine Razor sharp I cut The bull from my life Too blunt your knife To slay this dreamer We might be dogs astray No running line will hold us So rather kick and kill me I'll be butchered all the same No words are spoken But the world is broken 'Cause I want something Something all wrong done A life instead of mere living Folding crumbling withering oh hell What difference when working the way The crown of my work Is what I shall gain At the end of my days Daylight awake to a puppet world No strings attach to this body of mine Folding crumbling withering oh well The punished pushed along the line All my actions, all my moves A life all mine to lose The crown of my work A life all mine to lose A life all mine Is what I choose At the end of my days
That's a value of your own being defined for mutual understanding. The definition is not the value itself.
Action through action or non-action, somewhere along the line there is an ego-source responsible merely because the assumption of power and control is enacted. What is it that's so appealing about abandoning the very virtues and freedoms that America stands for? The image of war for peace is a poor justification once you realize that individuals profit off death and murder. There is no glory and honor to taking another life, especially not with the "do it for your country!" attitude. That kind of idealism is as empty and self-perpetuating as the government entity; it only exists when profit is concerned. Your have the face-value of a dollar bill to someone high up in this imaginary hierarchy of control. To acquiesce is to justify the irrational with superficial, primitive logic that's hand-fed by the very same individuals responsible for war in the first place. It's a game of chess and you are a pawn, you may think you want to move up one space and attack that Bishop, but there is a hand guiding your actions. The essence of respect and honor do not stem from their deep, personal values; rather, their deep, personal values resonate in you as respect and honor. It is not so much the "you" that values these things, it is the essence of "you" that is reflected in others.
Ahh, synchronicity? Identify with the mutual, not with the exclusive. These values complement you and allow you to see things in yourself that you otherwise would be oblivious to. Be careful when taking them as "yours", possession implies a creator, so how would you know these things exist in you if they didn't exist as a relationship between you and someone you can relate to? Moral gravity... we are not so different once we see the unity of all things
But I thought murder was okay as long as it's done in large numbers and sanctioned by the US government? I agree with your statements about war, but you asked a question that has real ramifications. If you take the high road and don't become another gear in the machine you are headed to prison. You may have indeed considered this in saying what you said, but you never mentioned it so I had to bring it up. Chances are you would actually get a support role anyway and wouldn't end up directly killing anybody... yes, you are still guilty by association in perpetuating the killing of masses, but your "killing is wrong" argument doesn't really apply here. So the options are a) get buttfucked in prison for 20 years or b) enter the military in a supporting role. For me the argument to save your own ass (excuse the pun) becomes even more compelling when you realize that one person isn't going to make a different anyway. If everybody refused to fight that would be great, but now you're letting ideals interfere with a question of realistic value.