Mandatory military duty: You might find it amusing...
I'll lay it out plain and simple: I used to be a dumbass, focusing on ruckus over conversation. You might find that ignorant. But, the fact that our youngsters are now viewed as the "most fit, most motivated" for military duty? I find that worrying and unjust.
A routine morning, I'm working from home and strolling through my hallway with a coffee (with a shot of soy milk, like the young ones) in hand, heading towards the mailbox. I happen to spot one of the mail delivery folk, who parks their electric bikes at the garden fence every day, and I think I'll go talk to him. The mail worker looks at me sadly, and I ask him what's up. He tells me it's his last day delivering mail, as he's been drafted.
I put my hand on his shoulder, look at him sadly, wish him good luck sincerely, then he rides off. Will I ever see him again? He gives me two envelopes. For my adult kids. From the military. I can imagine what's inside. In the afternoon, we open the envelopes, they contain the long-awaited "invitations" from the military, and I feel sick.
Head West
A lousy nightmare, I wish. But that's how it could look in a few years, as Bundesverteidigungsminister Boris Pistorius wants to recruit "the most fit, most motivated" students annually for the Bundeswehr, starting in 2025. Makes sense, but sending my babies off to war? Over the past few years there's been a fair amount of debate about this, pro and con, and also about whether today's youth is too weak to serve their country.
What a tame discussion!! Too weak? Just because a few old buffers screwed things up? Because governing bodies have failed and citizens, who behave foolishly in their voting behavior, create tension in the country? Because we didn't keep a guy in check who, with his chaotic, crude fantasies, attacks a neighboring country, occupies it, levels the ground, and gives the impression that he might do the same with other countries? The "peace offerings" are just blackmail? And then he looks at Poland, Germany, or Scandinavia, or what order do I know?
13 years after the so-called "correct" conscription was suspended, we'll therefore have to recruit at least 5000 additional soldiers - and soldiers - "the troop" every year. And it's not even that ridiculous, we'll have to consider war in our own country once again. Now we're even asked if our youth is "military capable" or even "military willing."
They even mock Generation Z, the soy milk boys and the vanilla girls. Hey, those aren't some YouTube creations or TikTok fantasies, those are real people, those are our kids. And if they're weak, then it's also our fault. On their helicopter parents.
I should now act as if it were the most natural thing in the world for me to consider if "we" are defenseless? Would it not make me proud to serve my homeland, would I be asked? I love my homeland and parents, but would I stand before the door with a gun in hand and defend my possessions, my loved ones? No, no, no, thanks, merci! I don't want that!
We have done much to open borders, abolish them, we have welcomed people of other nations, we have grown accustomed to living and studying and celebrating and loving and dying where we want. And now again borders? Now defense? What has gone wrong that instead of seeking a solution to put an end to this madness, we are going into battle stance and recruiting?
You can laugh at me for my naivety. I stand for it. I believed that we no longer need iron curtains, walls, weapons. I hoped that humanity learns from its mistakes. I know that not everything runs smoothly. But I put my faith in conversation instead of noise. A journalist recently wrote that today's youth is considered too soft to serve in the military, "even though it is not their fault that Germany clings to its peaceful worldview". But he's right, but instead of asking how this attack came about, why no one really saw it coming a few years ago, he portrays today's youth as soft-hearted individuals whom "we" are supposedly trying to make believe that a "soft" professional life is possible with demands for home office work, a four-day week, and retirement at 63 as goals!?
Yes, that would be possible, if not some idiots didn't mess things up and play with nuclear buttons! That's the goal, to make this ONE LIFE worth living! He mocks himself over the fact that there are now federal youth games without competition, even schools without grades, in German primary schools. Yes, that's stupid, but his conclusion: "How is the awareness supposed to ripen that we must defend ourselves against enemies of freedom and democracy? In the extreme case, on life and death", is quite over the top. Does he have children? Would he let them go? Or does he know someone whose valuable DNA carriers are held back due to a crooked spine or crooked teeth? Who would give their children as cannon fodder for the power games of deranged despots? I won't!
Equal opportunities in the trenches, finally!
When everyone is prepared to defend our beliefs, we can protect the destiny of our nation, he states. Beliefs! Absolutely, I'm on board with beliefs, but not the sort you're implying! Truth be told, determining if there's a divide between genders on this topic is complex, as everyone's equal, right? That's what our constitution says. Yet, equality in real life isn't always the case. In the heat of battle, at the trenches, or operating a drone, maybe.
If someone willingly decides to join the military, that's fine by me. Unfortunately, we envisioned a different future for our offspring. We desired equality in chances, or even compensation. Whether equality in combat is beneficial or not, that's not my concern, whether male or female, young or old. Warfare isn't for any of us. How about we employ our power to tackle this war, and others nearby, instead of sending our children into battle?
Feel free to ridicule me. Mock me throughout the entire weekend. I wager you'll soon stop laughing when your kids receive a recruitment letter from the military in their mailbox.
