Afghanistan..troops out NOW!

[Pippy]

Hey again,

First things first, what I wrote before was scathing, and I apologize for that. I stand by my argument, and the need I felt to make clear how much I disagree, but it may have gone overboard...

So you believe you care about 2 million Afghan dead more than you believe about, for example, your family, is that right?

No, that is not right. We weren't talking about my family. I referenced your prior statement that included only soldiers and civilians involved in the two outstanding wars, and was myself only referencing those two groups. How much I value my friends and family over strangers never entered the conversation, and I think it is another topic entirely.

So to stay on point...

If so (if that is what you are claiming) then I don't believe you quite simply because I would put my family before anyone else in the world.

That, as I pointed out above, is not at all what I am claiming. You don't believe that I think a certain way, only because you think differently? I don't see an entire planet of Kyu's, but it may be close... I wouldn't really put any one individual, even my beloved mother over any other. It sometimes tries too happen, but I work hard to be fair and reasonable, to be above my instincts. But you don't think that way, so feel free that I simply cannot either.

Because these people are people I can relate to and/or I care about more than I do about a whole bunch of strangers around the Indian Ocean. And there's also the fact that I can't really deal with 1000 deaths let alone 200,000 or 2 million ... it's an entirely abstract concept.

I know that there are people that are literally 'strangers around the Indian ocean', but I honestly feel that I attempt to consider them fellow humans with the same responsibilities and privileges I demand for myself. I admit that I am not upset in degrees as much when a family member dies, and when someone (or a few) people die on the other side of the world. But I do very much care about the people I have never met.

If you're saying that they have no (or markedly less) value alive or dead because they are lacking in 'cultural similarities' with yourself and make it difficult for you to 'identify' with them... Just think about that statement for a while. Consider the presuppositions in it. How does it make you any different at all from the 'terrorists' you might claim these people to be? How is that not the same flawed logic that radical Islamist militants are using against said troops?

I would also say that you and others who claim to value life equally are a bunch of deluded fools because it's not what humans do and I suspect you (and they) do it more out of some kind of politically correct (SPIT!) motivation than for any other reason.

May I please patiently remind you that it is not in the best interests of factual exactitude to lump everyone who makes some similar statements into one category. Please don't judge me based on what others have said to you in you life, as it is absolutely irrelevant, and kind of unfair. I do a lot of things that are either 'not what humans do' or a lot of other people do 'not what humans do'... Hard to say. We could have an entirely separate discussion about what is and is not human nature, but alas, again, we should stay on track. Never is my motivator "political correctness" (a term I also dislike). If it was I would have lived a MUCH different life.

If you must know, or at least if I may correct your inaccuracy... I do it because it seems right. That to break the cycle of people de-humanizing and killing each other we have to accept all other humans as equals. I know most of the world isn't at that page yet, and to do so alone is not productive, but I try to do it anyways. Because it seems like the right thing to do (my most common motivator).

So yeah absurd it may be (I don't agree) but nowhere near as absurd as being a scientifically ignorant fool who believes fairy tales over reality.

Absurd, as are some of your points, I feel it certainly is. You are displaying immature behavior on a very large scale. Not that you are being immature in a big way, but that you are failing to meet your 'large-scale' or 'world-scale' responsibilities as a human. The state of mind you proudly describe is one of perpetual pain and conflict, but again, that is only what I think. I love your insults, because they are always so apt. I could easily describe you (from my limited point of view) as a scientifically ignorant fool that believes fairy tales over reality. The irony of that makes me smile. We think the same poor things about one another, kind of charming really.

But I am rambling again. I hold a high value to every human life on the planet, and am very, very personally upset with every death (on both sides) during these wars. I almost lean towards feeling worse for the Afghani people, as they are not soldiers by trade. But I admit that that would be crossing the line in the other direction. Whether or not you yourself do as such, or even if you believe I can or do is fine. I only think that treating other humans as less human is a very slippery slope that you would be upset at the least to find yourself on the other end of. If someone said about your life's value what you say about these people, I think you might be offended. At the very least you would be quick to find fault, if only morally, with his stance. This is a heavy topic. The war is pointless, every death is a waste.

No War,
-Pip