Topic
The topic of the project is related to the purpose of war and values of people that take active part in military conflicts. Why do governments influence people and make them fight against enemies that do not exist?
The purpose
The project is aimed at explaining people that wars are not interesting to anyone except those people that want to gain more money fighting against enemies that do not exist. It happens that people are afraid of something so much that they start believing in those ‘monsters’. However, our fears can be overcome while wars are not results of people’s fears. They are real. Governments of superpowers attempt to make money on killing people with the hands of military men. At the same time, soldiers of the US army might not know about the genuine goals of the military operations while they strongly believe that they fight against terrorism and spread peace by controlling the situation in countries whose culture differ greatly from the American one.
The work itself and how it relates to the topic
People join the colors of the US army because they believe in certain values understandable for them only. At the same time, soldiers obtain duties to protect their country from invasions and internal conflicts. However, they also become obliged to fulfill the orders of people that sit in the warm rooms and argue about the educational reforms and the ways to save the balance of powers in the world. These people are politicians that represent the government of the country where nothing happens except for loud parties and scandals around celebrities.
As such, it can be considered as a desire of people to arrange something that would distract citizens from the situation in the country’s economy or education. Nevertheless, no one ever asked soldiers whether they want to fight for the country that uses them in such a filthy manner. On the other hand, army is the place where people are not treated as individuals that have their opinion or values that might differ from those strongly offered by the government.
Some individuals believe that it is an honor to die for the country you love and where your family lives. Though, we can see that war has never been a matter of honor; we can find evidence to this in the lines of the poem by Wilfred Owen: “The old Lie: dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” (55). This poem is dedicated to the events of the First World War and death of people that did not even know what they fought for.
The same happens nowadays when hundreds of thousands of US soldiers are sent to Afghanistan and Iraq to fight a phantasmal threat. In this respect, people cannot die for things they do not believe in and do not value either. The lies about honor of dying for one’s homeland are spread among people that want to be good citizens and a good example for their families. Is it fair that children lose their fathers at war? Do young soldiers deserve to die for the oil and that filthy money?
Money can be treated as the main reason why wars emerge. At the same time, destructive nature of people can be considered another reason why we always tend to fight. As suggested in the study by Wallace, “civilizations evolve to become decadent and self-destructive, ultimately evolving into a state of disintegration” (211). In other words, it is natural though not safe for people to get involved into conflicts. When superpowers tend to reach their goals nothing can be more important that resources and power. Influence on ordinary soldiers is obtained through propagation of moral values and beliefs that should be treated as an integral part of military service.
As for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, soldiers have to go to the war they did not ask for and serve as if they were actually protecting their home from invasion. However, the term of their service is said to be “the military’s longest combat tours since the Second World War” (DemocracyNow, par. 1). It is clear that military operations are not interesting for civil people that die for others’ values.
As suggested in the study by Wesson and Williams Evolution and human values, values can be different for different people (9) and Nazi had their values as well as US soldiers that invade to Afghanistan and Iraq. In this respect, it is necessary to ask a question about the name for men with weapons that fight for their values. Some of such people are called soldiers of the US Troops while others are claimed to be terrorists.
This does not mean that it is necessary to encourage violence in any possible form but that people may have different values and fight on different sides of the barricade. The more we think about the reasons for taking part in the conflict the more useless the conflict becomes. People should revise their values with regard to the situation though it is important to realize that they should their own idea concerning what to fight for. It is inappropriate to divide people into terrorists and US soldiers only because they appeared to protect values of different countries.
The anticipated audience
The anticipated audience includes people that have their own point of view in terms of the political situation in the world and the role of people in military operations against Afghanistan, Iraq, and other countries where conflicts emerge. People should realize the reasons for such invasions and consequences of conflicts. Those who are not ready to perceive the genuine political situation in the world should understand that the life is full of different people that want to manipulate others in a number of different ways. Soldiers of the US Army believe their commanders as well as so-called ‘terrorists’ fulfill orders of their chiefs. As such, any violence should be prevented instead of being actively promoted in media where military operations against civil population of Afghanistan and Iraq lead to death.
Your anticipated impact on an audience
The project should affect people that think that terrorism can be fought with the help of violence brought with the help of US soldiers. You cannot fight fire with the fire though people should change their mind first. The project can influence people’s perception of the situation in the world. Every time people would think about this project, they would try to identify how they treat the world and people that manipulate others.
Works Cited
DemocracyNow. Headlines for April 12, 2007: “Stretched” military extends tour of duty for U.S. troops. 2007. Web.
Owen, Wilfred. “Dulce et decorum est.” The collected poems of Wilfred Owen. New York: New Directions Publishing, 1965. 55. Print.
Wallace, Thomas P. Wealth, energy, and human values: The dynamics of decaying civilizations from Ancient Greece to America. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2009. Print.
Wesson, Robert, and Patricia A. Williams. Evolution and human values. Atlanta, GA: Rodopi, 1995. Print.