Military Arms
Renaissance Man, staring Danny De Vito is an old film now, but I was thinking about it recently. In this movie, Danny De Vito is hired to instruct a group of under-functioning soldiers how to think critically. He instructs them by teaching them Shakespeare and succeeds in instructing them not to be just soldiers, but soldiers and scholars. There is more to being a warrior than strength and fighting.
This reminds me of the Medieval code that knights swore to when becoming warriors in Europe. The code is as follows:
1. Believe the Church’s teachings and observe all the Church’s directions
2. Defend the Church
3. Respect and defend the weak
4. Love your country
5. Do not fear your enemy
6. Show no mercy and do not hesitate to make war with the infidel
7. Perform all your feudal duties as long as they do not conflict with the laws of God
8. Never lie or go back on one’s word
9. Be generous
10. Always and everywhere be right and good against evil and injustice
And so, it is today that our soldiers are called upon to not just be capable making warfare but to defend and respect the weak. They must be violent when called upon as well be gentle and protective of the weak. How is one person to do all of these things. My hunch is that these soldiers need our help to balance such opposite behaviors.
On Saturday, my son-in-law returned from deployment with the National Guard. He was serving a mission in the horn of Africa and this was his fourth deployment. This return is different. He was married shortly before deploying and his son was born while he was away. Now, he returns as a husband and father. His warrior ways must yield to his loving protective ways. I bet he needs help and support to do this.
We train our young people in the ways of the warrior and send them off. Now, when they return, we must help them learn the skills of loving nurturers. Military arms must now hold spouses and children, not guns. Let us all be there for our returning warriors.
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