I was just going through my flash drive, cleaning it out and reorganizing it (something I do periodically), and I found a lot of essays that I have written in the past. I love writing and feeling like nobody can argue with what I say because my point is so clear and strong. I think one of the things that make pieces of writing the strongest are using examples that are personal. I want to post an essay I wrote arguing against points made in Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience, because I love reading it. Maybe someday soon I'll post my other essay about the things that I absolutely love about Civil Disobedience, but for now here you go:
In Civil Disobedience, by Henry David Thoreau, there is a common theme existing throughout that adds up to Thoreau’s statement “‘that government is best which governs least [or not at all]’,” (pg. 1). While many of his appeals and arguments are sound and agreeable, some issues are presented in a disagreeable manner. Thoreau presents one idea which is a bit unsettling. His views on servicemen that fight to keep our country free contradict reason and are likely to upset many. His main position is that those who fight for the country do so like machines with no morals or consciences. While the times of Thoreau were littered with reasons that support his claim, his conclusion that with servicemen “there is no free exercise whatever of the judgment or of the moral sense,” (pg. 2) is wrong.
In the midst of World War II, my great grandfather was serving in the military. With a small group, he was given the job of entering a German army camp and gaining any information that could be found. It was early in the evening, and the camp was vacant. My grandfather entered into an empty building. Inside he found information with some of the camp’s strategies and plans of attack. Before he was able to leave the camp, the Germans returned. My grandpa was able to quickly hide inside one of many ovens that were lined up next to each other along the wall. He knew he would have to wait a long time if he was going to escape at all. A few German soldiers came in and used the oven next to my grandfather to cook their dinner. My grandpa held back from screaming despite great pain as his skin burned for hours. He remained silent for fear that the soldiers would kill him if he was found. The entire left side of his body contains scars that are with him to this day. Finally, morning came, the soldiers left the camp, and my grandpa was able to crawl out of the oven and return to safety. The information he left with was able to help prepare American troops for an eminent attack by the Germans.
When I look at my great grandfather today and see those scars, I am so grateful for him and the service he provided to protect our country. I’ve always wanted to know more about this story and everything that happened to my grandpa during World War II. Unfortunately, all memories he has of his time serving his country are not very pleasant and he won’t talk about them. When I see his eyes as his mind searches over memories he wishes he didn’t have, I am in great awe at the servicemen who put their lives on the line for all of us. Thoreau says in his discussion of men fighting mindlessly for the country that “Such command no more respect than men of straw or a lump of dirt,” (pg. 2). I shudder at this statement and can’t disagree with it more. This statement strikes a nerve in those today that support American troops and what they fight for. Men serving in the armed forces support this great nation, have answered a call from leaders, and put their lives on the line for our safety and freedom. Not only do they give their lives for our country, but for the cause of freedom for the whole world and countries that can’t fight for themselves. If such men don’t command respect, then there must be little else in existence that does.
Thoreau’s main issue with servicemen comes from his great disdain for the Mexican-American War. He says that “The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines,” (pg. 2). He disapproves of men serving a country with leaders who participate in slavery and have an insatiable desire for gaining more land. I cannot say that I disagree with his feelings and frustrations with the government and slavery. In retrospect, however, I believe we find a reason for the acquisition of Texas and other lands with the war-ending Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. In 1845 a rebel province of Mexico voluntarily allowed for ceded lands of Texas to the United States. The rest of Mexico did not recognize the secession, and war ensued in 1846. Not very far away, the Latter-day Saints continued their endurance of persecution, threats, and extermination orders. About the same time that the Mexican-American War began, the Saints traveled across the plains in search of Zion and an end to persecution. I do not believe it coincidence that within one year of the first company of Saints reaching the Salt Lake Valley, the Mexican-American War ended and Utah became a Territory of the United States. Only there did the Saints at last find peace and the opportunity to worship free of persecution.
With this information brought to light, I see a great purpose and reason that existed for the Mexican-American War to be fought and a great need for men to fight it. Thoreau felt that such men were machines without consciences, and very few were heroes. It is my feeling that all of the men who fought in that war were heroes. Without knowing it, they fought for something that was urgently necessary for the Lord’s people (even though it appeased manifest destiny simultaneously).
Whether you are related to someone serving the country today, have a relative who fought for the country in the past, or are someone who avidly supports the government, you know that the men serving our country are not performing a self-serving function. They are not worth the same as dogs or dirt. They are not machines that act without a moral sense. They fight for God, family, and country. They are great men and cannot be replaced by wooden men. They are heroes. Whether one agrees with what they fight for or not, their caliber and valiance cannot be disputed. When the motives of leaders throughout history are not always valiant, I find it important to look at where they’re actions have led our country. Those who fight have courage beyond my own, and I feel that at times they are instruments in the hand of God and should be seen as such if nothing else.
