Freedom Is Not Free At All

Kia ora Ken

I have never lived in a war zone, nor have I lived in any country while it was at war. The thought has always made me feel uncertain, and for a raft of different reasons.

One is a genuine fear. I don't think I'm alone with this.

Another is that I'm a pacefist, but I've never had my principles tested by war. My father was a pacefist, and his older brothers like him. During WWII these men had their own beliefs tested while their country was literally under fire. I watched them as their youngest brother went to war by his own choosing - Vietnam. That uncle is the only brother, out of the four, who is alive today, principally because he was the youngest. He would never go to war if he was given the same chance over again, yet he was not a pacefist when he first went to war.

It's strange that war means freedom for so many. Churchill spoke of it like that. But you're right. Freedom comes at a price.

Haere rā

Ken, your point is very well taken. I think you may have the concept a little backwards when you state, "war means freedom for so many."

From my perspective, war is always a last resort - an evil that requires evil against others - or at least that should be the purpose.

When I state that I think you may have the concept reversed, it is freedom itself that often requires an ultimate sacrifice to maintain it for others. This is to what I refer.

To use an analogy, what if you were with your daughter on an evening dinner, and were accosted by a villain. The villain clearly intended bodily harm to you and your daughter.

I would instantly move to a mode of protecting my daughter as she escaped... in essence I am protecting her freedoms while I sacrifice my own by "going to war" with the villain. It was he that intended harm to my loved ones, and thus I had no choice.

Those in the military must swear to sacrifice many of the civil liberties we hold dear, such as freedom of choice. We do this, trusting that those in charge of our country know best what is important to safe guard the sovereignty of our state.

This is not always the case, but I will tell you that in general, the men and women of our military swear an oath to protect a way of life giving others the freedom to choose whether they will participate in that very same preservation or abstain from it.

When you speak of genuine fear, I can assure you that you are not alone in feeling this. However, what differentiates those who act to stand against oppression of freedom and those who do not is not experiencing fear, rather it is acting in spite of this fear.

Truthfully, none of us know how we would react in situations of extreme duress. I can tell you I was disappointed in some of my reactions during simulated battles, and to this day second guess whether I would truly be able to sacrifice my very life for those I loved.

All I can tell you is that people choose to sacrifice much in the name of many things. Sacrificing in the name of freedom, to me, is one of the most noble because it asks for nothing in return yet gives the ultimate gift of choice to those who may or may not have asked for it, much like my religious beliefs.

In what I say, I do not intend any offense whatsoever. I fully support the ideals of pacifism, and used to be one myself. However, I have since come to a belief the world does not offer such honor, and for me to survive in it, I must practice aggressive defense.

Well said. Hoo RAh!