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For better or worse, your first paragraph is never what America was. The second is closer. The privilege of purpose, handed down from on high and wrapped in an
by bsanr2 5y ago
For better or worse, your first paragraph is never what America was. The second is closer. The privilege of purpose, handed down from on high and wrapped in an American flag, is the socialism-flavored tradeoff for all the horrible things servicemen have to contend with.
I do think it's dangerous to romanticize what the military does for soldiers without recognizing what it does to our enemies and the innocents caught in the crossfire; especially when we, as a country, cannot fathom "service" (and all the things that flow from that structure, which we can agree can be edifying for one's soul) being anything but that which involves airstrikes and ammunition. As for how to cure the nation of its woes, I feel that a huge part of it is competition run amok. Things are difficult because it's an advantageous condition for those who are able to navigate the rough waters when their neighbors can't.
Perhaps we go the two-birds-one-stone route. I hear that there are some bridges and buildings and roads that may need repair.
- jl2718 5y agoI have similar opinions on these topics as many that were out there, which is to say, not at all what others may assume or want us to think, nor what may be in our best interest to share.
- bsanr2 5y agoThat may be for the best; I assume they are controversial. If they are rational, that controversy would frustrate; if they're unfounded, their exposure to credible pushback would perhaps leave you with an identity crisis. That said, keeping them bottled up may be similarly undesirable; when driven by principles not subject to community scrutiny, an individual is likelier to act in socially (even morally) unacceptable ways, perhaps in a moment of opportunity or crisis. Something to think - maybe, talk - about.