Integrity Matters
April 27, 2005
War should be last resort to solve problems
Question: (E-182)
Dear Jim:
You write about integrity-centered leadership. What
is your position on war?
Response:
A special friend of mine, a retired colonel, spent
his 30-year career defending the United States, on five
continents. He has seen of the horrors of war, up close
and personal. He tells me war is the last resort because
it is an awful way to resolve differences. Lives, families,
dreams and legacies are destroyed when leaders declare
war. My personal position on war is to pray for the safety
of those who lay down their lives to protect and preserve
the way of life my society has afforded me and those
I love.
The integrity of life itself is placed at risk when
war becomes the path forward, for any reason. Yet, the
history of the United States of America was created from
an armed conflict that challenged taxation without representation
and oppressive "foreign" intervention. Without
the American Revolution, there would not have been a
United States emerging at the time of Washington, Adams,
Jefferson, Franklin and Hamilton, in the last quarter
of the 18th century. Was that war necessitated by integrity-centered
leadership issues? Millions would say it was.
War is appropriate when it its purpose is to fight
poverty, disease, intolerance, drunken driving and irresponsible
behaviors, including violence, ignorance, corruption,
and graffiti, killing in the name of religion and drug
abuse. With more thinking time, there are probably other
powerful battles that would make it onto my "sanctioned" integrity-centered
wars list. War is the escalation of disagreement beyond
the willingness of opposing forces to resolve differences
peacefully. When positions are hardened, by either side,
and conversations stop - which often means that relationships
have broken down - conflict is inevitable. Individuals
experience "war" every day when they get fired,
divorced, arrested or jailed. In global conflicts, soldiers
and civilians are wounded and killed by rockets and bombs.
Do integrity-centered leaders choose war? Yes.
When children are no longer singing, it may be time for
war. Adults owe the next generation a wholesome place to
be loved, nurtured and educated. Those responsible for
young people must create and preserve an environment that
is free from destructive tension, fear, hunger and homelessness.
When that is not possible, then it may be time for actions
to be taken to restore a safe haven where children can
again laugh and sing, play and learn. Integrity-centered
leadership can choose to reshape the future by enabling
all the children to sing again. Neither integrity nor safety
is free.
