As a professional soldier, I find that these are challenging times. International terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, allusions to clashes of religion, culture, and civilizations color conflicts in the Middle East and Central Asia. The world seems gripped in a maelstrom of conflicting emotions based on fear, revenge, nationalism, and self-interest.
For someone in the military, this has meant increasing tasks, but perhaps a more serious challenge is the moral ambiguity associated with this new environment. It's not very easy to identify those elements or people who are seeking to promote fear or disorder in the world. This lack of clarity appears to bestow unfair advantages on these forces, while traditional military standards associated with law, compassion, and decent behavior seem inadequate to the task. As a soldier, how, can I contribute to a better world when this world has changed so much?
In my view, motivation is the key element. Someone who is a soldier for reasons other than aiding and advancing humanity is in the wrong profession. By adhering to higher motives, one can have confidence in the decisions one is required to make—even if the consequences of these decisions may not be readily apparent at the time. Mary Baker Eddy stated it succinctly when she wrote: "Right motives give pinions to thought, and strength and freedom to speech and action."Science and Health, p. 454. Hence, doing one's job to one's highest sense of what is right is a form of daily prayer and is a defense for oneself and those around one. This also has an impact far beyond one's immediate circumstance. As a student of military history for over twenty years, I am convinced that adherence to right motives by individuals, armies, and nations is not only the morally correct thing to do, but also the most effective way to promote enduring peaceful solutions to conflict.
