There has been war in Europe for about a month now. Nothing compares to the experience of war. War is alluring and war is hell. It changes people for better or for worse. There has been enough said about this. War has been around since the dawn of time. “Before man was, war waited for him.”
As you know, I am addicted to Twitter. How else am I going to distract myself from whatever I am currently doing? I try to stay informed on the War in Ukraine. I like to see heavy weapons in action. I see a lot of crazy things that random people are saying. Never thought I could become more of a misanthrope than I already am but here we are. Is everyone a psychopath? Am I one?
I saw a thread about dead Russians a few days ago. Every post in the thread was the same: First picture is of an obituary from a newspaper or a fresh grave. Second picture is the man himself in uniform. It was a long thread, over a hundred posts easily. I didn’t look at all the posts, just about 20 before I accidentally scrolled down too far and saw the replies. Every single post had random people making fun of the fallen soldiers. Nothing needs to be said about the character of these people. I firmly believe everyone will go to hell who participates in this mockery of war. I can only speculate about the motivation behind these posts. I won’t. You can have your own theory, it’ll probably be right.
I saw a video of Russian prisoners of war getting brutally abused recently. I remember seeing a video of Givi abusing Ukrainian prisoners years ago. The images from both videos are burned into my mind. It’s disgusting. If you’ve seen them, you know one is much worse than the other in terms of brutality, but I’m not making a comparison. That’s not my point. I’m not going to make justifications for either behavior. It’s up to God to judge your soul for your deeds on earth.
The practical aspects of war have changed but the spirit remains the same. In my opinion there is no difference between dying by arrow or by artillery shell. The meaning of death is still the same even if the means of dying have changed. Being in battle is in and of itself a noble deed. There’s an intrinsic value in dying for your nation and people, an appeal to something higher, that exists outside of how you actually pass on.
It’s hard to make the inevitable but ultimate act of dying meaningful. It’s the last thing you will ever do. It would be impossible to choose the perfect death if you had to pick one. Don’t tell me “surrounded by my family” or some such, be more specific: Time, place, exact reason for departure, and so on. War acts as a process of refinement for your final act. You don’t get to choose your death but with every deed, every moment, you come closer to it. When it’s finally time to die, you’ll have fought your hardest to live on. It’s the best death you can possibly die. Affirming God’s gift of life to the fullest by trying your hardest to protect it.
Of course, there are different kinds of war that require different kinds of brutality. A people fighting for its survival is different from fighting for the land of a partner in an alliance. This is a concern way above on the macro level. The soldiers in combat do not think about their political convictions when making snap decisions. In that moment they are all brothers-in-arms in playing the ultimate game, united in purpose: To deal and receive death.
A man who loves war therefore loves his enemy, without him there would be no war.
Poor treatment of prisoners of war offends me because it’s making a mockery of war. A man who has been willing to go up against you, to bet everything he has, to challenge you to the ultimate game, should be treated, not necessarily well, but at least with respect. Even a man who you can’t possibly let live any longer based on his past transgressions does not need to be tortured or humiliated.
Addendum
I know my post is macabre and I realize that I am writing about a fantasy world. Just as political ideologies are not on your mind when you are fighting, so too are ideas of honorable death not on your mind when you are dying from a bullet to the gut. I don’t expect an enlisted or conscripted man to show compassion to those who have killed his friends. Rage, passion, anger are all real emotions and strong influences on our behavior. There is a sadness to death no matter the circumstances and I’m genuinely sad for all the people who have lost someone.