Earlier today my friend Frank sent me another article for his blog on www.nonviolentcow.org called Father At War. It is a description of a family interview with an Army recruiter that is recruiting his youngest son. Frank, although a West Point graduate, is opposed, with his wife, to war and putting young persons in a position they must “kill or killed.” They are still adjusting to older son who is now serving in the military in Iraq and now with the thought of their younger son, a high school senior, interested in joining the army, is overwhelming.

Tonight Frank and his wife joined Pat and I for dinner and although we had a wide ranging conversation about life, we did drift into talking about their son being recruited from high school to the military. Knowing Frank and his wife has given me the major illness of militarism in our society.

Individuals suffered from mental illnesses that are brain diseases. American society suffers from militarism which is social diseases. Mental illnesses are incurable but often can be treated. Militarism is curable but is not treated. Society regularly stigmatizes persons with mental illnesses but praises members of the military empire. Most people with a mental illness, one of four Americans, do not stand out but when one does we make much of it. Militarism so invades our society we barely notice it. We even teach war and killing without conscience in our schools.

People with mental illness take medication for treatment. Persons in our militaristic society use violence as an answer to solving conflicts. Persons with mental illnesses seek refuge with family, friends and therapists. Our military society seeks refuge in making guns and weapons of violence more available to all.

Last night in this posting I wrote about ”Next to Normal”, the rock musical about mental illness. If there was rock music about militarism it could be call “Greed is Good”. In a militaristic society people are taught to fight for honor, power and riches. Military might is not normal or natural.

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