Christian Group Drops Indonesia Orphanage Plan
Monday, January 17, 2005
Conscientious Objectors in the Iraq War (PBU subject of the week)
I am joining today with several other blogs in a weekly collaborative effort on a single subject. You can find links to the other Progressive Blogger Union sites at: http://www.pbu.blogspot.com
I have two subjects that I want to bring up here.
1. Individuality in Thinking
Those who know me know that I believe the learned feeling that we don't know enough or know how to really make good decisions for ourselves is what is getting us into many of the societal problems we have these days, including with our governments. We feel (or the greatest majority of us do) that we simply aren't smart enough to understand all the factors that go into major societal decision-making, so we leave it up to others. We bury our heads in the sand and hope for a better outcome 4 years from now. And, those who want to be in power, who in many instances manipulate that power to gain from it in some individual way, encourage that with a "don't worry your pretty little head over this big issue dear... don't you need a new SUV?... get shopping!" mentality.
It seems to me that while different, the military is the place where the most intense encouragement of non-individuality of thinking exists. This, of course, is always touted (as I'm sure is very true) as the only way that a military unit can perform effectively. Also, knowing that many of the soldiers who are going into battle are incredibly young - children, really - the individuality of thinking about what war is really about enough to even determine that they want to be conscientious objectors is something amazing to me. My hat is off to anyone who makes this choice, given the warmongering in this country and the pressure of the military to think their way.
2. Difference in Focus
There are various sayings out there that all come down to the idea that you get what you focus on, that to which you give energy. One of the biggest ways we focus our energy on something is to fight it. Fighting something shines a huge spotlight on it - gives it as much or more energy than being for it!
It's why I think that Dennis Kucinich really had something important to say in his campaign. One of his big initiatives was to create a cabinet-level Department of PEACE. He got it. Focus on what you want.
Am I saying that we should bury our heads in the sand, go out and buy another TV or SUV or cashmere sweater? Ignore what is going on in the world and pretend that all is well. No way. The way that we truly know what we want is to first identify what doesn't feel good, what we don't want.
We have something horrific going on in this world in the Middle East and elsewhere and we have to admit that it is going on and there is nothing just, good, right, or justifiable about it - so much so that young men and women who signed up for the military are now taking the very hard road of going against what their friends, commanding officers, and probably often families are about. They are objecting to the thing we don't want.
We don't want violence. We don't want murder. We don't want greed and manipulation. We don't want things to object to, in other words.
So, along with our study of what these people are objecting to, lets give ourselves and them a view of what we want instead. Peace. Health. Sustainable prosperity. Renewable energy. Enough food for everyone in the world. Freedom for people to think for themselves. Freedom for people to express their uniqueness in the world in ways that feel good to them. A world that we and our children can enjoy.
How many of us grew up with the sense that the most worthwhile thing we can do with our lives is fight the unjustice in the world? Well, if our sense of the best we can do is fight that, our brains will keep bringing us more to fight. There has to be an enormous paradigm shift here to focusing on the world we truly want. My English teacher mother would be horrified at this, but I'll say it... I most emphatically conscientiously object to objecting!
I have two subjects that I want to bring up here.
1. Individuality in Thinking
Those who know me know that I believe the learned feeling that we don't know enough or know how to really make good decisions for ourselves is what is getting us into many of the societal problems we have these days, including with our governments. We feel (or the greatest majority of us do) that we simply aren't smart enough to understand all the factors that go into major societal decision-making, so we leave it up to others. We bury our heads in the sand and hope for a better outcome 4 years from now. And, those who want to be in power, who in many instances manipulate that power to gain from it in some individual way, encourage that with a "don't worry your pretty little head over this big issue dear... don't you need a new SUV?... get shopping!" mentality.
It seems to me that while different, the military is the place where the most intense encouragement of non-individuality of thinking exists. This, of course, is always touted (as I'm sure is very true) as the only way that a military unit can perform effectively. Also, knowing that many of the soldiers who are going into battle are incredibly young - children, really - the individuality of thinking about what war is really about enough to even determine that they want to be conscientious objectors is something amazing to me. My hat is off to anyone who makes this choice, given the warmongering in this country and the pressure of the military to think their way.
2. Difference in Focus
There are various sayings out there that all come down to the idea that you get what you focus on, that to which you give energy. One of the biggest ways we focus our energy on something is to fight it. Fighting something shines a huge spotlight on it - gives it as much or more energy than being for it!
It's why I think that Dennis Kucinich really had something important to say in his campaign. One of his big initiatives was to create a cabinet-level Department of PEACE. He got it. Focus on what you want.
Am I saying that we should bury our heads in the sand, go out and buy another TV or SUV or cashmere sweater? Ignore what is going on in the world and pretend that all is well. No way. The way that we truly know what we want is to first identify what doesn't feel good, what we don't want.
We have something horrific going on in this world in the Middle East and elsewhere and we have to admit that it is going on and there is nothing just, good, right, or justifiable about it - so much so that young men and women who signed up for the military are now taking the very hard road of going against what their friends, commanding officers, and probably often families are about. They are objecting to the thing we don't want.
We don't want violence. We don't want murder. We don't want greed and manipulation. We don't want things to object to, in other words.
So, along with our study of what these people are objecting to, lets give ourselves and them a view of what we want instead. Peace. Health. Sustainable prosperity. Renewable energy. Enough food for everyone in the world. Freedom for people to think for themselves. Freedom for people to express their uniqueness in the world in ways that feel good to them. A world that we and our children can enjoy.
How many of us grew up with the sense that the most worthwhile thing we can do with our lives is fight the unjustice in the world? Well, if our sense of the best we can do is fight that, our brains will keep bringing us more to fight. There has to be an enormous paradigm shift here to focusing on the world we truly want. My English teacher mother would be horrified at this, but I'll say it... I most emphatically conscientiously object to objecting!
“This is a racist and imperialist war. The warmongers who stole the White House (you call them 'hawks', but I would never disparage such a fine bird) have hijacked a nation's grief and turned it into a perpetual war on any non-white country they choose to describe as terrorist.”—American film actor Woody Harrelson
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