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Analyzing Plato's allegory of the cave
Analyzing Plato's allegory of the cave
‘ the allegory of the cave’ by Plato
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An opinion is the formulation of personal experiences. After my four year career in the U.S Army, I can officially profess that I am one combat veteran out of very few. During my time on active duty it was constantly mentioned how only one percent of the nation’s population serves in the military. In stark contrast, the U.S has one of the best military defense yet only attracts one percent of its citizens. There must be reason for this, which led me to revise my priorities during my tour. Living in the lifestyle of a U.S soldier molded my perception on what is truly important, which is education. Education is a tool that may enable a person (such as I) to jump through the hoops of generational poverty into a life of stability. This is a component …show more content…
I did my time, went to war, and was fed up with the redundant life of being a grunt. Yet, my superiors did not seem to empathize with my situation enough to agree with my career change. Anytime a soldier expressed their goals or dreams for when they discharge from the military they’re quickly countered with, “I bet I will see you working at McDonalds one day.” These statements were endless and this is the mentality that we were trained to believe. The dependence of the military is the same as the need for the commonness of the cave in Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave. In Plato’s essay he writes his account of Socrates conversation with Glaucon about humans who are imprisoned in a cave, which symbolizes ignorance. The escaping of the cave is symbolic of the man for attaining knowledge or enlightenment. He writes, “any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck around will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows” (284). This is the same as soldiers trying to leave the military and fear what will happen since they will not have the financial support they once had. Yet, their words were lines of motivation to my ears, so I started a new path to satiate my hunger for
Dodging bullets and and praying to God that your foot does not step on a landmine. Missing the company of your family, not to mention having to miss birth of your first born child. Only to be on an unknown terrain, hoping that the next second will not be your last, only to produce a salary that rigidly pays to maintain your household. Today joining the military is not a trendy determination to compose and sensibly so. With the bloodshed in both Iraq and Afghanistan more military cadre are essential but an insufficient amount are joining. So why should you join? Today, in spite of the intimidation of going to combat, is the utmost cost-effective time for a person to comply to join the military. There to have at no time been as many benefits either as broad of perks granted.. Currently, there is the Montgomery GI Bill as everybody knows accessible for combatant men and women to attend college and acquire a college degree. There reside plentiful opportunities to take dominance of by joining into militant service. Of course there are a great deal of senses both for and against joining the army. Joining the military, however, is a verdict that demands to and has to be built to be realized to continue to reside in the United States.
Joining the Military is important to me because you get to serve and protect your country and you get to do something new everyday. When you end up joining the Military you get a very good stable job that keeps you busy and you have it for as long you are in the service. The best thing is an education that does not cost you much and you will not be in debt. So this is why I want to join the Military and be able to serve for our country.
Finally, the Department of Defense, with support and encouragement from Congress and the American public, has focused more on today’s military member and family as a unit, instead of the individual soldier, as was the case with the Vietnam veteran. Although a soldier, and sometimes a taxi driver at the height of the Vietnam War, would hand deliver a Western Union telegram notifying spouses and family members of their loved one’s death, it was still perceived by survivors as cold and lacking compassion (Hanna). According to the military, this was considered notification in person, which many family members found insulting (Hanna). In contrast, death notifications for today’s military forces are dealt with sensitively and respectfully, notified in person by a special Casualty Assistance Officer, and followed up with a chaplain if the family
Military service starts with recruiters announcing their intention to make a new man of every trainee. The modern military recognizes a duty to train military personnel to be both ethical and effective. The most common military characteristics often include integrity, honesty, courage, and loyalty. Surely, drill sergeants believe they can change personalities; but can they really or do they just scar the trainee for life?
I do believe that the Evangelization of the participants is a practice of indoctrination and brainwashing. At a young age, the children are sent to Jesus Camp. With innocent minds, the children would be easier subjects to manipulate. Their minds are too pure to be able to analyze the information they are fed. If the teachers are continuously emphasizing their teachings and persuade their mind set on life, the children would soon believe that this is the only view of life. At these camps, educating eventually becomes brainwashing.
When I was seventeen I nervously traveled about 350 miles from my sleepy little home town of Freedom, Wyoming to the relatively enormous city of Boise, Idaho to go to the Military Entrance Processing Station. This wasn 't the first time I had been this far from home by myself, but it was the first time I was making adult decisions without my parents involvement. When it came time for me to choose my job in the army the counselors presented me with a long list that I qualified for. I got tired of scrolling and reading so I chose the first job that I actually understood. I returned home and excitedly told my parents that I would be an infantry soldier. My dad 's response to this might be considered a little less than heart warming “You dumb ass. Why didn 't you choose
The 56th proud history that included a very diverse and challenging deployment to Afghanistan has always seen success. During that deployment they have suffered some tremendous losses that have resulted in a chain of events that have negatively impacted this historic Brigade. Although the outlook is positive I will outline some of the major challenges, issues and concerns that will need to be addressed to maneuver the Brigade into the future and back on the path to success. I will outline my recommendations, measures of success the desired end-sate, as well as my recommended vision statement.
them. I didn’t understand the warning signs and the idea that what they were saying and doing was not acceptable at all. When you are in a place of authority it’s so easy to take advantage of your followers. I was not the only one being harassed during these early moments away from the safety of our families back home. There were females younger than me who got pregnant and had abortions under the direction of the Marine instructors who were married and had families of their own. Because the girls didn’t know any better and out of fear they would silently and secretly do away with their issue. Our family entrusted us in the hands of the ones who were supposed to be training and teaching about discipline, teamwork, hard work, and the proper
A majority of those individuals are still teenagers, leaving home for the first time, learning to adapt to the “freedoms” of being at school and on their own. While I can confidently say I have matured in ways a traditional route college student has not, I still have much to learn. Learning to be away from home and on my own is not a problem for me, but learning to adjust to civilian life after service will be a challenge; a challenge I will undoubtedly face head on with full tenacity and commitment. One cannot be scared of the unknown, one must embrace
Enlisting in the military has a lot of great opportunities. The military has been around for hundreds of years. The names change but the overall mission stays the same. Most people join the military to try and have a better life, occasionally people who have money and still join the military. Most people think of soldiers when they hear the word military, but that’s not really the case in today’s military. In today’s military, less than 5% of the military personnel are foot soldiers. So people can enlist into the military and go to whichever school one like. One can choose from online schools or one can find schools in your local area either way one have plenty of options. The medical care is ok for the most part. One should have the options of choosing if one would like a military doctor or a civilian doctor, but unfortunately, it
To What Extent is it Ethical for a Soldier to Disobey the Orders of a Superior?
While pondering the question of what makes me unique, I thought back to my experiences as a military child. My experiences have uniquely altered and molded my sense of being. Relocating every couple of years changed my views on social interactions and allowed me to explore new cultures. I am homeless in a sense that I am not native to any particular place. I have a vast network of friends that are spread throughout the country and the world. I have gained a sense of appreciation for other cultures, religions, and people. I am unique because of the culture I was raised in. I am unique by the way I absorb my surroundings. In a process of self-development, I have had several influential teaches who have guided and taught me. Two of which were
While Einstein has strongly presented his aversion against the military as an institution of herd life that perpetuates violence, I consider the above quote very poignant as a commentary on how the military as an institution is socialized and organized using mechanisms of control.
An Army officer is someone who not only leads others by example but manages them. The military lifestyle is not new for me. The daily routines, tight schedules, life on military bases, and formal interactions between other high-ranking officers. Growing up with an Army officer Dad, I have learned and observed the necessity for flexibility, respect, time, duty, honor, achievement, and so much more. The flexibility to get deployed and say goodbye to your family. The respect you must show at all times. The importance of managing your time down to last second to ensure maximum productivity. Accomplishing your duty at all costs. Honor that is earned only by the work you put in. Finally, the feeling of success and achieving a task you thought you couldn’t do.
Many soldiers are perceived as people that never really wanted to join the military but became aware of the benefits and decided to join. That is not necessarily true. Myra Guillen, a sergeant in the U.S. Army, stated, “ Many soldiers that I know joined the military because of 911 and they want to play a role in strengthening our country.” This terrible attack on the U.S. is the main driving force for most of today’s military personnel. Most soldiers join the armed forces in order to achieve safety for the country and keep the citizens safe. Soldiers are judged as taking advantage because some come from poverty-stricken families. Benefits in the U.S Military include tuition assistance, medical insurance for the whole family, and a retirement plan. At the end of the day many soldiers do not end up going to college because of the devotion to the military on 24/7 basis. The reality is that many of the soldiers could have gotten the same amount of money for college if a FAFSA application was completed, so money is not the motivation for the majority of the armed forces. The fact is that soldiers have a wide range of reasons why they join the military but benefits is not the main