The Curse of the Men of Silver

[Disclaimer: A friend approached me and reminded me that many of my generation were dying in Iraq and Afghanistan. While I believe the war in Iraq is an inexcusable quagmire and that some people have discredited our military by their conduct over there; I have been more than impressed by the zeal shown by those fighting for a democracy and working to rebuild a very broken country. I believe the lion's share of soldiers are good and honorable people who more than anything believe in the ideas behind this country. They are the good thing about this war and one of the few glimmers of hope to be found in such a regrettable mess. It is because of them that this war has not been a complete loss and they have proven that victory can sometimes be seen even in the darkness of defeat. I hope that their example will be the starting point for a deeper understanding of what once was great about this nation and could be great yet again.]


"So, why do people fight anyway? Perhaps the meaning of human existence lies within their will to fight. People feel a sense of accomplishment through battle. And its also a fact that the ones actually fighting are never perceived as being tainted."

- Katsuyuki Sumizawa

"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" Translation: Who watches the watchmen?

- Juvenal


In Plato's Republic, Socrates is asked who should lead his shining new Republic. Socrates answers that the Republic should be led by philosopher kings whose rule is enforced by soldiers to ensure that the people live happy, prosperous, and orderly lives. The philosopher kings are the men of gold. The soldiers are the men of silver, and the average people are the men of bronze.

First off, as a philosopher myself I can assure that nothing would be worse for a country than to be led by philosophers. When we are not lost in thought and undecided on an issue, we are ideologues arguing the most curious things with a frightful zeal. I suppose that it would be best to have people of wisdom and moral courage ruling, but this is a given for what all societies truly want deep in their heart of hearts. America is a country ruled where the leaders are chosen by the people and there is a strong blend of all these classes. The people try to elect those who will be the wisest.

However, what are we to do with the soldiers? In our current society we seem to have a perverse view of the military. We civilians lust for the destruction of enemies and see them as nothing more than objects. We have objectified the enemy so much that now we can no longer talk to them, but rather we look at them as obstacles in our way to victory.

The great shame is that we view our soldiers in such an horrible way as well. They are the flip side of this. Trained to be weapons, they must be stripped of pity for the people against whom they fight. When a war is just, this is a sad sacrifice to ask anyone to make. When a war is unjust, it is damnable act by those who lead. In essence, war is state sanctioned murder. Murder is wrong, accept when worse things can arise from it's going unpunished. Even the just wars (World War II or the reprisal to attacks from Afghanistan) leave us with the ultimate horror of asking young men and women to commit murder so as to protect others.

The shabby treatment of soldiers in this country is inexcusable. Our country has failed our military in three very large ways. First, we have allowed war profiteers to gain large sums of money for doing virtually nothing. Secondly, we have not worked hard enough to promote peace throughout the world so as to end the threat of war. Third, and most shamefully, we have cried crocodile tears and talked a great deal about the sacrifice of veterans; while turning a blind eye to what we can really do to show our gratitude.

If we really mean to look out for our citizens who are willing to fight for us, we should make sure that they are best equipped for wars which we pray will never happen. We don't do this though. And when they return, they are never thanked by people who see them in uniform.

Instead we are fortunate enough to turn them into objects. (Perhaps living in this age of materialism has made everything and everyone an object.) However, a soldier is viewed to be a tool of war like a tank or a plane. They are the "smart chip" in the machines or infantry; and not an human being. That is how we get to sleep at night. That is how we are able to deal with all those parts of the statistic. The people dying in wars are nothing more to us than the scrap metal of an incinerated humvee or apache helicopter or any other war machine. God help us when enemy and protector are nothing more than a tally for how a war is progressing.

So what is a soldier's duty. A soldier is a person who must only be called upon when the country is in its darkest hour. They must prepare for a job that they should never ever have to perform; while in the meantime working to prevent the ultimate horror from occurring. They should be asked, as they have so often in the past, to built the infrastructure of this country and the rest of the world. They should trade in their precious time for the promise of this country to give them a solid education. They should receive loyalty from those who lead them and are protected by them (namely the United States people and its government).

It is a testament to how fortunate we are, that we have never seriously contemplated a military coup. It seems the most ludicrous notion in the world that the military would overthrow our government, and yet most of the world is used to this kind of behavior.* When one really thinks about this, one is amazed with the loyalty that is found in those who serve; and dismayed by the lack of loyalty found in the body public with regards to its military.

Let me be honest. I am not a jingoist who believes in the unsullied purity of the American soldier; but I am a realist who knows that as long as there are evil people willing to perpetrate evil wars, it is best that we have a strong protection against them. Those who fight for what is good deserve to be encouraged for and in their endeavors. They are fulfilling a dangerous job and it is up to us assist them as best we can.



*This of course was another precedent set by the first president. When military officials were preparing to establish General Washington as the military dictator of America; he cooly stared them down and we have been without such a threat ever since.