[srean]

> I did not want to go into the army on account of not wanting to be someone else's pawn in wars of aggression

Sentiments mirrored. During my younger days I used to want to, not being part of the physical fight but a technological one. Then I saw exactly what you have put in words, how people's lives, there families lives, were used as "someone else's pawn" to feed their political ambitions.

Thanks for the sobering reminder.

[hef19898]

Ultimately, I went for the physical fighting. Refused military service and tried myself at competitive combat sprts (not very successfully).

In the end, ignoring the rare cases were the initially baddoes (tm) are clearly known, in most cases poor, young folks are forced to kill each other by rich and powerful old folks while everyone else is suffering. The average soldiers on both sides usually have more in common with eavh other than they have with theor respective leadership. That being said, and paraphrasing one of the alt right election ads I see round here, peace may actually require as much dead people as necessary in case beligerents are inwilling to end the war early. Or not even start one in the first place.