Читать книгу The End of War - Paul K. Chappell - Страница 10

Since human beings, more than all other mammals, require cooperation to survive, our reliance upon our community is even more important for us. To survive, we have a bond powerful enough to hold a community together and to encourage selfless service, sacrifice, and cooperation among its members. If you and I were stranded in the wilderness, my genuine concern for your well-being would be the only bond strong enough to prevent me from leaving you when times were hard, killing you when food was scarce, or breaking the cooperation that allowed us both to survive. This is why our genuine concern for the well-being of others, also known as unconditional love, is not a naïve moral virtue but a crucial survival instinct that makes cooperation possible.

My experiences in the military allowed me to understand this fact about unconditional love. If a soldier’s friend or loved one is in danger, the soldier will often risk his or her life to protect that friend or loved one. This is an instinctual response that occurs when we see those we care about in danger, because on the dangerous plains of Africa our ancestors were not fast enough to run away from a pride of hungry lions. They had to stand their ground and frighten these predators away by brandishing torches, wielding large sticks, throwing rocks, and so on.

In the military, this bond of love and brotherhood among soldiers is absolutely necessary for their survival. One afternoon while I was deployed in Baghdad, I heard an explosion in the distance while I was on my way to lunch. In Iraq such noise was common, so I paid little attention and continued walking. I had taken only a few steps when I heard something approaching from behind me. At first it sounded like a jet, but it was flying too low. Something was wrong, I realized, as the noise roared closer. Before I could turn around I heard something pass over my head. A split second later a deafening explosion shook the earth. Seventy-five meters in front of me, a 157-millimeter Katyusha rocket had slammed into the army base where I and many other soldiers worked. Since these rocket attacks came in groups, I immediately took cover and heard several more blasts. Within a minute, the attack was over and a momentary silence ensued, followed by screams.

I ran to check on the wounded, smelling smoke and blood as I neared the point of impact. Several vehicles were on fire, and a crowd of soldiers had already gathered around the injured to offer them medical treatment and words of comfort. Over a dozen people were hurt during this mass attack, but dozens more had come to their rescue. The suffering of their comrades had called them to action without hesitation, summoning them to help and to heal. In this chaos I witnessed a power that all people have. This is the same strength that calls people to action when they hear the cries of their loved ones. This is the same bond that exists between parents and children or any members of a close family.