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 Unity. Being part of the group like a well-tuned tank. A whole. The
red-ant thing. They can march (yes march, ants don't walk) and follow the leader
very well, so can the khaki-green group like ours. It's about watching out for one
another...Left! Left!...Left! Right! Left! 1...2...3...4.1234, 1234 Country! Pride!
Discipline! Army! Strong! 81! (Our regiment number) Then breaking into a song or
two "Dwang Chan..." and singing while marching or running in step in combat
boots with no cushy paddings like a pair of Nike running shoes, while sweat stream
down the side of your brow and you start breathing heavily but can't stop because
the group mentality is to stay together, in line, in step, in voices and spirit.
Everything in motion together like a running train; chin up, eyes straight, arms,
legs swinging together, LEFT.LEFT.LEFT. RIGHT.LEFT! The many becoming one...
"Free your mind of doubt and
danger,
be for real don't be a stranger,
We can achieve it, we can achieve it
Come a little bit closer baby, marchin on, Marchin on,
'Cause to fight, it is right when all become one"
-Fight Girl
 They don't tell you why you have to do it. You just do it because
it is an order and you don't question orders from your superior. One sergeant said
because it looked good on national TV when they pay respect and march ' Te Suan Sanam'
on December 5, His Majesty's Birthday. So marching is just a show? And it looks good?
Partly yes. But I was thinking about it heavily one day and my own reasoning for
doing it, is because when you have an organization of hundreds of thousands of men
and women, you need to find something to keep them physically and mentally together.
Working side by side. In-step, In-motion and In-spirit with the group. And if you
march enough times to actually skip to be in the "right step" with your
regiment and you keep doing this everyday, you will find yourself skipping to be
in step with your friends while out of uniform and walking in a mall.
If you see someone doing this, forgive us, we're not crazy, we're in training and
our mind is in auto-pilot programming.
Left.Left. Left. Right. Left...
I have begun chanting it in my sleep...
The Killing Question:
 Just
a thought that has entered my mind while watching CNN and seeing Pakistan blast a
nuclear bomb because India did it first. They have always dislike one another for
centuries because one side is Muslim and the other Hindu. Both their religions teach
that killing is wrong and that you should do good towards your neighbor, yet they
say they are in a 'religious war.' It's the same thing with the Protestants and Catholics
in Ireland.
We had a man in my class who was once a monk for ten years and I asked him, "
If you were ordered to kill for your country, would you do it? Or would you claim
that the Buddhist doctrine is against killing another human? Which then comes first,
Your country or Your religion?" He looked at me strangely and said he'll have
to think it over. I'm still waiting for an answer...
Front Page, Thai Rah. A man shots another man out of personal rage and is called
a murderer. Front Page, The Bangkok Post: China - A man is ordered from his government
to shot another man and he is called a hero.
Football Field vs. Battle Field:
I had a dream about peace. I was thinking about war again ( that's what happen when
you read and watch too much news. ) Soldier A shots and kill Soldier B because they
are on opposite sides; whether it be different religion or different country, they
are told to 'kill' the enemy. There is no personal grudge between these two men.
No personal hate or revenge. Bang. Bang. No hard feelings.
What if an a soldier from Palestine and a soldier from Israel went into a pub together.
Talk. Told a few jokes. Share a pitcher of beer. Maybe during closing time, they
would walk out arm in arm as comrades...if of course their nationality didn't matter,
their religious difference could be shared instead of argued and their government
didn't order them to shot each other.
 What
if we put nationalities, government and politics out of the picture? I had an idea
from another classmate, a woman who is a member of the Thai National Football team.
What if soldiers were replaced by football players and every time there is a disagreement,
conflict of land interest or anything worth getting into a war over, we don't. We
won't have shot each other out on a battle field but instead, we'd settled it on
the football field. The side that wins the game wins the argument and the conflict
is settled. It could be any game really: tennis, volleyball, baseball, whatever...
Image a country buying tennis balls over ammunition; baseball bat over missile launcher;
knee pads over tanks. We would build a strong nation of athletes and save money too.
It's a great idea I thought.
Then I woke up.
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Rights
to kill ?
When is killing right?
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Written by: Areeya Chumsai
Design: PuTT
Bandwidth sponsored by Internet
Thailand
Copyright SiamWEB
Cyber Culture
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YOUR COMMENT
I just found your web site, and I was impressed that your comment on India and Pakistan was reminiscent of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment (concerning Napoleon). State-sanctioned killing is one of the greatest problems facing the modern day world - primarily because it always seems justifiable. While some may argue that the lethality of nuclear weapons has made large-scale wars difficult (it is true that the world has seen one of the longest periods of general peace in the past 50 years), the state has grown tremendously powerful, and able to harness "nationalism" to its advantage. In the U.S., this sentiment reached its peak with the Gulf War, and is still continuing today. My thought has always been that there is a fine line between nationalism and fascism, and it is up to each individual to walk that line very carefully, or else the state will do it for you, and make you do things you may regret later. At least for the army, it is a serious task that they undertake as their job - however, when regular citizens are convinced to push for war, that type of indirect killing is so much worse.
Albert
<AlSheu@hotmail.com>
from 2.host.mmgnet.com on Friday, August 11, 2000 at 06:49:53
Ah say this, this is enuff!
Yah put women into the army tha next thing you'd be doing is takin' religion out of the grocery store
I declah
Gun-totin' Hillbilly
<inbred@groin.com>
from 177-53.pop.metrotimes.net on Monday, November 22, 1999 at 09:39:35
Hi,
don't u ever think that u are overconfident?
kham phanthavong
<kham28@hotmail.com>
from s20-stmlk.pionet.net on Monday, July 19, 1999 at 11:15:06
Yes... Read "Renaissance Man" - Agnus Heller
Darryl
<gwensinc@home.com>
from 24.65.9.40.bc.wave.home.com on Wednesday, May 05, 1999 at 01:20:56
Civis bacum parabellum,hang on girls !
No communists into the world.
Victor(Finland)
Victor Grass
<grasvic@hotmail.com>
from brakteaatti.helsinki.fi on Tuesday, March 30, 1999 at 21:30:17
Civis bacum parabellum,hang on girls !
No communists into the world.
Victor(Finland)
Victor Grass
<grasvic@hotmail.com>
from brakteaatti.helsinki.fi on Tuesday, March 30, 1999 at 21:28:40
you know it is something that we all desire, "peace". That peace will never come with Jesus in the lives of our world. I am in the military as well and know the trials and the thoughts of what if? One day we are called to fight and have to kill another person over different countries arguments. I have faith that God is in control of my life and this world and as long as I tell people about the love of Jesus- Yaweh, then i will be ok. Peace will come when the hearts of mankind are surrendered to Christ Jesus. Good article, I enjoyed and thought I would just share my heart on the issue. Be blessed.
Micah7
<Rmundo13@aol.com>
from spider-tm011.proxy.aol.com on Saturday, March 06, 1999 at 12:51:49
I admire you for what you are doing.
Cathalee
from remote64.server1.local.premium.dialup.unt.edu on Friday, September 04, 1998 at 05:21:28
I couldn't help lauging when I saw you saluting in this picture. You must have been a drum major in your last life (or at least known one). Then again, that was your last life - not this one.
Just joking. Hope your having fun.
Matthew
MGS
<hi.stavros@archi.kyoto-u.ac.jp>
from p-archi.archi.kyoto-u.ac.jp on Sunday, August 30, 1998 at 15:05:05
Really supprise to see "normal" person become Miss Thailand and in the Army as well.
Arnatt Klinsong
<qa3681@email.mot.com>
from cache-engine-02.chi.ais.net on Friday, July 03, 1998 at 03:40:35
verygood!
Lt.Mac
<macc@loxinfo.co.th>
from sp6-ppp13.loxinfo.co.th on Sunday, June 28, 1998 at 13:37:44
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