Retaining Humanity in the Face of War

It is widely believed that people must abandon their humanity in order to survive war. This is simply not the truth. There have been countless instances of soldiers throughout history who have shown immense kindness and respect for human dignity in times of horrendous atrocities. For instance, in WWII when German soldiers were invading Russia, there was point at which a commander gave the order to execute a large group of Russian prisoners of war. At this time, a German soldier was tasked with the execution of one such Russian prisoner. The soldier took the prisoner out into the woods, shook his hand and told the prisoner to run because he is a human being, not an animal. This single act of kindness in a sea of terrible acts of violence and hatred stands as a testament to the endurance of human dignity regardless of the many people and situations which work to break down a person’s character and humanity. Even the most battle hardened of veterans retain their understanding of right from wrong and many stories have been told about soldiers from opposing sides choosing to simply let one another go their separate ways to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. The story of Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector to win the Congressional Medal of Honor, signifies a person’s ability to fight and defend their country while refusing to compromise the integrity of their character. Without our moral values and the willingness to uphold them, people will descend into chaos. All of the worst atrocities in history have been justified by the words “I was just following orders”. Before any order is followed, one must first consider if that order conflicts with our moral virtues which we must forever uphold.