[scrum-treats]

> but devalue it because they don't understand it.

No one is devaluing it. I'm certainly not. Rather it is highlighting that humans are vulnerable, by genetic design. And it requires actual help to reprogram the brain. To take on the burden alone is quite a difficult and insurmountable task.

For your (a) and (b) you are definitely entitled to your opinion on how you want to be viewed and treated in the world. This is very much the same as women arguing that men should not have a say over their bodies; bodily autonomy is a human right, not a right reserved for only white men.

[pdonis]

> humans are vulnerable, by genetic design. And it requires actual help to reprogram the brain

Sure, I'm not disputing this at all. I'm just pointing out that this has nothing whatever to do with the military being a cult. It has to do with the nature of the military as an occupation. The military is certainly not the only occupation that has traumatic experiences as an expected part of service, and that needs to have a plan in place to deal with that.

> For your (a) and (b) you are definitely entitled to your opinion on how you want to be viewed and treated in the world.

It's not a matter of my or anyone's wanting to be viewed a certain way. It's a matter of understanding as a country why we have a military at all and what it is for, and holding our political leaders accountable for making appropriate use of the military and giving it the support it needs.

[scrum-treats]

> I'm just pointing out that this has nothing whatever to do with the military being a cult.

So, it actually does. One must "de-program", meaning to unravel previous programming, such that the brain can learn a new wiring for existing. It's very much linked to the previous "training"/"programming" one endures via the military.

The military is not unique in this regard. We also see this with religious groups, self-help groups, and even in corporate environments. We're humans and we are vulnerable by default. And that's a beautiful thing that in my opinion needs to be preserved as we face this AI-interjection in our lives.

> It's not a matter of my or anyone's wanting to be viewed a certain way. It's a matter of understanding as a country why we have a military at all and what it is for, and holding our political leaders accountable for making appropriate use of the military and giving it the support it needs.

I agree that leadership making irrational decisions at the expense of humans, humans that are committed to protecting our country, needs urgent attention. It's disrespectful and can lead to catastrophic loss of life for service members. It causes unneeded pain for families. I agree.