Live and Let Die

Would you rather live for something worth living for, or die for something worth dying for ?  When all is said and done, they both reach the same conclusion.  I should probably explain what I originally thought the difference to be between them.

I live by 3 axioms:  Do no harm; help where you can; and create inspiring and empowering work.  So generally, I consider myself a "live for something worth living for" person.  With a few reservations, I am proud to give support to a nonprofit organization called Amnesty International.  They champion social justice causes around the world without affiliation to any one government:  abolishing the death penalty; advocating for the release of prisoners of conscience; and promoting the free exchange of ideas in stable and peacefully established, democratic societies.

But by having a closer look at what it means to "die for something worth dying for", there isn't much difference between the two.  Certainly, one can choose to physically sacrifice their life for another, but even by that example they would be extending living for something worth living for to its mortal conclusion.

For this respect, I will reword the second part as "killing for something worth killing for".  By one of my three axioms, I can do no harm.  The taking of another life, to be concise, goes against my very nature.  I have my demons and darkness inside, and I live with them daily.  Rather, it's because I live with demons and darkness inside, that I do my best to give what I give...  to compensate for my imperfections and shortcomings.

Unfortunately, killing for something worth killing for is a necessary evil of the world.  Soldiers must take the lives of others to maintain societal freedoms.  No doubt that in a perfect world, there wouldn't be a need for war.  However, mankind is an imperfect being in an imperfect world, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  And so with a heavy heart, the soldier's hand moves us toward the freedom of expression and the preservation of our civil liberties, with integrity and honor. 

But there is one aspect of this human condition whereby I can help the soldiers:  I can lend my support to Amnesty International, All Out, and the ACLU so that the soldier won't need to take as many lives, fight on as many battlefields.  I can save the soldiers' lives, just as the soldier saves mine.  It's this strange, unfortunate balance that we strike with each other...  it's the most that we can do for ourselves.

I know that I've spoken in generalizations here, so I look to you to comment your thoughts, passions, and where you stand in this world...  in the comments below.  I thank you for your time spent reading here, and your consideration of what I have said here.  Best wishes to you and yours.