The View that People Who Refuse to Fight are Cowards

The View that People Who Refuse to Fight are Cowards

With so many wars happening in this century it's difficult to tell who

the real cowards are. Many people go to war and fight to protect their

country, for a feeling of pride and to feel that they have done their

bit to save the lives of others. However many people choose not to

fight. They can see that in the long run many problems can occur. They

might have to destroy the life of another human being; they could be

faced with a disability or even death. Also, people who feel that

fighting in a war is morally wrong are called conscientious objectors.

In this essay I will examine which choice, if any, is the cowardly

choice.

Those who choose to fight do so for the sense of patriotism and pride

they feel for their country. They come home to a hero's welcome, with

new skills and new friends. However, going to war con traumatise a

soldier. For many years they can be faced with nightmares about what

they have seen and whose life has ended in their hands. Many soldiers

who have fought have ended up being permanently disabled and battled

with depression. They can make new friends, only to watch them die the

next day. And sometimes, the attitude can be "what for?" To be in

these situations, you would need a lot of courage.

Those who choose not to fight also have good reasons not to. They can

see into the long run, with the nightmares and disability, and they're

scared. Some of these people are the people who man the munitions

factories. Some of these people are the medics caring for the sick and

wounded soldiers. However, these are the people seen as the cowards.

They are called na...

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...lly right. These are the people who

are manning the munitions factories, producing the rounds and missiles

that the soldiers fire. These are the people who fly into highly

dangerous situations to carry out medevaks on wounded soldier. These

are the people who endure torture from society and get called wimps.

In my opinion, those who say conscientious objectors have no courage,

these are the real cowards. They don't have what it takes to stand up

for what they believe. They are sheep, and don't have their own

opinions, just follow the crowd.

We must always honour and respect soldiers who have fought, and

sometimes lost their lives, as they have stood up for their country

and done their bit. No matter how someone reacts to the call of war,

we must value their opinion and not discriminate them for what they

believe.