Faltering idealism

Last Thursday, I woke late. As I have a habit of doing, I watched CBC Newsworld during breakfast. The program was Nichola Goddard's father was delivering her eulogy. For those who don't know, Nichola Goddard was killed in action last week in Afghanistan. She is the first Canadian women killed in combat. The eulogy was moving more than I can ever recount so I won't.

Amidst the anecdotes, he recalled one discussion with his daughter in which she offered a more concise argument for my position on the unfortunate necessity of war than I could have ever dreamed.

The following retelling has been filtered of personal statements since I could never convey their meaning in any manner called just.

Himself an educator, her father (expectedly) argued that by educating populations you create a renewable and expanding resource that, over time, will pull the people from destitution. How the liberty to think freely (forgive my repetition) expands hope and knowledge, then becoming not only the means by which transformation is possible, but the very reason to undertake it. She responded saying “you can’t do that when the bad guys are running the show”.

And there it is. I have always felt that a world without any war would be ideal, but, on the other hand, it would be ideal. It’s nice to dream of equality and prosperity for all but, to help real people in real crisis', practical solutions are needed. In a world were many leaders refuse to comply and allow the simultaneous existence of world peace and prosperity, force is required, perhaps even virtuous.


I believe the war in Afghanistan will result in better living conditions for millions of Afghans now and for generations to come. Were there areas of more pressing need? Sudan perhaps? I don’t suppose to know the best ways in which to use military might, and I highly doubt that any reader of this can say better. I will only say this; Canadian soldiers are fighting for a cause they believe in. I choose only to believe in them.

SeZ

No man can sit down and withhold his hands from the warfare against wrong and get peace from his acquiescence.
- Woodrow Wilson