Is it my duty to defend my country?

[Nemra]

23 hours ago, bebotalk said:

We can't get away from societal or communal influence. 

To some degree, we can. Some people can get away from most of it, some not, depending on one's own situation, environment, belonging to some group, etc.

Many people follow and believe what the Bible "tells" them, which may or may not be harmful, depending on the context.

Edited May 18 by Nemra

[universe]

No.

War is such a lose-lose and low conscious business. You do not want to involve yourself with that if you can.

Would you defend and kill for your religion, your job or your favourite sports team?

[martins name]

Depends on the war and the country. Benefiting from the advantages of a good country but not taking responsibility for defending it from bad countries is parasitic. Receiving without giving. 

Duty is a social construct. It makes more sense to root yourself in responsibility. Do you feel responsibility if you take all the facts into account?

@universe Is it high consciousness to be conquered and subjugated by illiberal despots? Should countries full of conscious people then let themselves be conquered? Doesn't seem like conscious countries would survive long if you had your way. 

[universe]

2 hours ago, martins name said:

@universe Is it high consciousness to be conquered and subjugated by illiberal despots?

Of course. It's the highest consciousness there is.

But I am not talking about that. In a practical and relative way your survival becomes very compromised when you are taking an active role in a war.

Countries have military that is trained for this to protect from other military. I'd let them handle it. Now, when the military needs more help from me than just money, that's another discussion. I would have to make a nuanced decision.

[martins name]

@universe In a sense you are right, if I'm understanding you correctly, that it's the most conducive to your own spiritual development. But I think it's bad for the collective level of consciousness on a 100-200 year time scale. 

21 hours ago, universe said:

Countries have military that is trained for this to protect from other military. I'd let them handle it.

We are talking about Ukraine rn which needs more than its standing army.

[bebotalk]

If a person is from an oppressed group, then they shouldn't really defend their country. There were blacks who served in the US armed forces in both world wars, but they had no choice legally, and would have faced jail time. as would any white person who was drafted, of course. But if a country is bad to a given group or person, they shouldn't feel obligated to serve. 

Edited May 19 by bebotalk