When is it more cowardly to risk your life than to run?
I'm reading The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien and he tells the story of how he took the easy way out and cowardly went to war! It was a different view for me to think that being patriotic is sometimes the easy out.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Not having read the book I don't know what he's running from, but I'm assuming that patriotism was the cowardly approach because he threw away his values so he wouldn't be criticised by not going to war. I think there was a movie called "Four Feathers" about something like that. I never watched it, but I do remember hearing that people used to give feathers to those too "cowardly" to go to war.
That kind of embarrassment and criticism would probably lead to the aforementioned "risking one's life" as a cowardly approach rather than to run from war and stand up for what you truly believe. I guess what I'm saying is that sometimes death is more enticing than dishonour, even if it means compromising your values - which is kind of hypocritical when you think about it...
And Stuff,
~Vasu~
I know of one event, going on a mission. Young men of our church go on missions cause there is so much pressure. There are some that go for the right reasons, yet from what I've seen of return missionaries they seem to be few. It was very hard for me not to go on a mission when everyone wanted me to. It was a choice that the rest of the LDS commuinty would judge me for, for the rest of my life. I have a friend that got sent home from his mission after 6 mothns. People had less problme with him then they had with me. I consider it very cowardly to go on a mission if you are going just to please the folks.
Risking any kind of repercussion for saying this; it is more cowardly for a woman to stay in an abusive relationship than to get out of it. Staying could been viewed as "going to war," and leaving could be viewed as "running away." It takes great strength and courage to leave those kinds of relationships. One reason for this view is that family members, who have no idea of the abuse could be advocating for the woman to stick with it. This mentality also comes from both sides; husband/boyfriend's fam and your own.
I have personal experience in this area because of my older sister's ex-husband. He beat her, but she had the courage, in spite of a child between them, to run.
Often, women stay in these relationships for reasons that can be seen as silly but are legitimate. One of these that I know many women battle with is wondering if they will ever be in another relationship after this one. This wonder turns into fear and then turns into the chains that bind them to their partner. The few women who realize that this situation is unhealthy and run without any real security net to catch them are the ones with real courage. It is cowardly in my eyes to stay in relationships like that.
I hear you Judge, I used to get so sick of people looking at me funny when I tell them I'm 19. A lot of them ask me if I'm going to serve a mission or not and I say I am, because I want to.
I think I am a lot better prepared by coming here than I would have been back home. It gave me a chance to experience life more and to get out of home and be more independent. It's funny, I do more homework now then I ever did back home. And I read my scriptures and pray more. I don't know, maybe it's the lack of pressure that's helping. I don't mind what it is, as long as it helps.
Post a Comment