| Notes | Book |
Anyone who pays taxes supports the troops. But do you support them enthusiastically, or reluctantly?
In my case, it is reluctantly. I do have some sympathy for the troops, as I would for anyone having a serious mental disease. Troops have a severe case of statism, which is a mental dysfunction that has proven fatal to hundreds of millions.
It seems the vast majority of humankind would rather have a world with less war, less violence, and smaller, or nonexistent armies--even a substantial number of the troops.
It's impractical and unwise for me to try to reduce the number of troops in the world and in my country through force. They are better at force than I; better equipped, and a lot younger. If I use force to achieve my vision of a peaceful world, I will surely only end up adding to the sum total of human violence.
Troops, on average, are not very smart. Reason and logic have a limited effect on them. Despite what you hear on Fox News, troops tend to be less intelligent, and less motivated than the general population. I know, because I used to be one. I used to hear a lot of speculation about whether soldiers could “make it” in the civilian world. Fortunately my experience in the military destroyed my illusions about the power and virtue of the state. I eventually came to see the government for the thuggish organization that it is.
If we all fought to eliminate the government, we would all be fighting, thus proving that we need to be governed. But if we all ignored the government to the best of our ability, it would go away, because it would be apparent that peaceful and productive people did not need to be constrained.
Armies are cults. The troops need to be removed from the cult, deprogrammed, and taught real survival skills.
Support the troops and their bureaucratic sidekicks to the degree that you must but no more. Live peacefully and productively and speak and write the truth. Support the peacemakers and the voices of reason to the maximum degree you are able. Call force and fraud what they are whether the perpetrators have uniforms and documentation or are just freelance operators.
If all or most of us follow this simple plan, there will soon be no need for troops and they can be integrated into the community of decency.