Volunteering

I often hear how capitalism
Is Christian because it is based
On Biblical principles like greed

This is like saying
Christianity and Satanism
Have a lot in common
Because they have the same worldview

It all depends on who you are serving
Yes the world is a dark place
But we should do our best
To minimize it not embrace it

Realistically we will never solve
The problem of suffering
But this doesn’t mean
That we shouldn’t at least try
To do what we can

I know the world is a cruel place
This is why I have decided
To make better choices
After leaving the military
To avoid suffering
For myself and others

Being realistic does not require
Us to have a negative or defeatist attitude
About doing what is right
And helping out the poor and disadvantaged

We often hear about just wars
And having legitimate reasons
For engaging in warfare

When a country goes to war
They have already failed
And everyone loses
It just varies as to how much

A nation with the power we have
And access to specialized resources
Does not need to fight wars
Every decade like clockwork

Getting tough on other countries
Involves some of the kindest people
Having their lives destroyed

We think of how much we want
To stay out of poverty
And how impractical peace is

But when we fight wars
Only a small minority of us
Actually signs up to go

Almost everyone qualifies
Few people can legitimately say
They volunteered but were rejected

The recruiters are flat out lying
And no one lets the Peace Corps
Come into high schools
Like they do military recruiters

The military is filled with wonderful people
Using sophisticated equipment
And doing very important work

At the same time the risks
Are light years beyond
What would happen to you
Even in some of the most dangerous jobs

You also get paid very little
You are likely to be on government assistance
You don’t get most the benefits promised
For a variety of reasons

Some call these people heroes
But it is not an honor
To suffer for ungrateful people
And suffer a meaningless loss
Of good health and safety

Furthermore these wars
Which we mostly win very fast
Have no practical upside
For this nation as well

We are basically creating countries
With no government or laws

And this must not be an accident
As there are many smart people
Leading us into this situation

Many think they can thank a veteran
For their service
And this is somehow an honor

If you want to thank a veteran
Put pressure on congress
To stop voting for wars

The military has a
Greater and greater difficulty
In finding enough people to sign up

Because so many people realize
Serving in the military
Will not improve their lives or careers
Definitely not at the costs involved

But these same people think
That it is a great idea for other people

I don’t think I am anything special
For serving in the Army

As soon as we arrived at Basic Training
We realized right away
That we were nothing special

We were taught not to stand out
No one was better than anyone else

The worst thing you could do
Is to not be a team player
The military does not tolerate
Any form of laziness
Or lack of cooperation

In some ways this reflects
How God sees us
None of us are more important
Than anyone else

I felt God was very close to me
During the entire time of my enlistment
But this is also when my paranoia started

Shortly after I entered Basic Training
The terror gave me the energy
To make it through all my training

When you think of sending in our military
To help some American overseas

Think of this -
That even our best trained troops
Can easily be captured themselves
As they try to rescue others

The reason for most wars
Continues a cycle of revenge
We are starting to see
The same thing happen
Even in our country

Welcome to world history
We are finally a nation with a past