Young People Write About War

Peace Studies Argument Essay 2
11/15/07

To whom it may concern,

I cannot and will not go to war, simple as that. There is no part of me that is or will ever be comfortable with mass killing for any reason, no matter how “noble.” And furthermore, there have been far too many examples of peaceful resolution for me to be under the mindset that war is necessary, under almost any circumstances. This being said I understand the purpose of military action in self-defense. However, if there was a positive change that allowed us to end war completely (which there won't be unless we make some kind of movement towards peace), then there would be absolutely no need for self-defense and hence no need for war. I stand firm in this belief and, although my objecting to the draft is a very small drop in the pool of peaceful action, it is a something I must do to serve my country on a path towards peace. It is the best way I can imagine to “be the change I wish to see” in America.

A conscientious objector is, by definition, “one who objects to participation in all forms of war, and whose belief is based on a religious, moral, and ethical belief system” (www.objector.org). My objection to war, although partially based upon my religious views, is actually mostly dictated by one simple moral, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This is something that was engraved deeply into my belief system growing up, and I continue to act on it to this day, particularly in my refusal, above all, to kill any other being; I would not want my life taken from me, so how can I take the life of another? Michael Servetus eloquently connects my refusal to kill with idealogical war: “to kill a man is not to defend a doctrine, but to kill a man.”

You may take this objection and turn it into cowardice. You would say that it is not my censure of killing, but my own fear of death, that leads to my want for CO status. I can understand this confusion (although I recognize that that is all it is), and I will openly and freely admit that the mystery of life after death terrifies me to no end. However, the thing that horrifies me far more than dying in war is killing in war. I can honestly say that, given the choice, I would gladly be shot down right now than be forced to kill others and have to see their faces every night in my dreams, and be constantly pitted against guilt and self-hatred for the rest of my life. If this was what my existence looked like, I'm sure I would end up taking my own life anyway because I would be driven mad by shame and self-repulsion, both of which, in my opinion, would be justified and deserved (this is not by any means to say that all soldiers or veterans are deserving of this, it is just how I would feel about myself). If it is cowardly to feel this way, to be scared of having to live day in and day out in a cloud of agonizing remorse, then so be it, I will proudly stand up embrace this title. Because being a coward I can live with; being a monster I cannot.

Although I have no one prescribed set of personal religious beliefs (meaning, I don't consider myself Christian, Muslim, Jewish, etc.), I belong to a church that has a very specific set of morals, known as our seven principles, and almost all of these principles can in some way be used to object to war. They are as follows:

we affirm and promote:
     the inherent worth and dignity of every person,
     justice, equity, and compassion for all,
     the free, responsible search for truth and meaning,
     the right of conscience,
     the goal of world community,
     and respect for the interdependent web of all life.

It is obvious that these principles can not be upheld in warfare. How can you recognize the worth and dignity of a person and treat them with justice, equity, and compassion if you aren't even able to look at their lives and their land with any sort of respect? And if someone's outside environment is being ravished by invaders, it certainly takes a lot of attention for them off of tending their spirituality, because they are always preoccupied trying to stay alive. And there is no possible way that war could ever occur with respect for other life or allow for a world community; war dishonorably takes life and creates further hostility and anger among nations. Therefore, I am choosing to exercise my right of conscience, as I feel I must, in objecting to this war.

You may say that this argument is void, that because I do not hold one personal doctrine or have a real “religious belief,” I am not eligible for CO status. It is true that my spirituality doesn't coincide with an organized religion, which is something that isn't required at my church. However, this does not make me void of spirituality, in fact I draw from each religion (including Buddhism, Feminist Spirituality, Christianity, etc) the things that suit my moral beliefs best to create my own spiritual fulfillment. For example, my refusal to kill is based upon the teachings of Buddha, and my respect for the earth that is irreversibly devastated in warfare comes from my regard for Gaia (earth goddess) followers.

My objection is not only to war, but also to the corrupt and much too powerful armed forces that we as Americans value so dearly. After watching the documentary “Ground Truth,” I saw the many ways in which the soldiers who had so dutifully volunteered their lives, upon returning home, were denied the health care and services they needed, or were made to jump through hoops to get it. The army simply does not give back to the soldiers what they selflessly sacrificed; they use them as worthless pawns in the game of war, and there is something gravely wrong with that. You may say that, having never been in the army, I have no grounds to be so adamantly against it, and I somewhat agree with this statement because I feel that people shouldn't judge without first really getting to know the thing they are judging. However, this was not the first documentary on the subject that I have seen, and I feel that, after listening with compassion and an open heart and mind to all the soldiers describing their wartime experiences (even those who were for it), I feel I have gained enough insight into the world of war to know that it is not something I can not participate in. For example, I read an account written by Brian Wilson, a veteran of the Vietnam War that goes as follows:

I looked at the face of a young mother on the ground whose eyes appeared to be open as she held two children in one arm, another child in the other. Upon closer examination I realized she and her children had been killed by bomb fragments...I looked at the mother's face, what was left of it and it flashed at that point in my mind that the whole idea of the threat of communism was ridiculous.

Address:
Veterans For Peace
William Ladd Chapter
PO Box 274
Freeport, ME 04032-0274


e-mail:
boblezervfp@suscom-maine.net


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