Words of Canadian politician Tommy Douglas, before declaring war in 1939:
"If you accept the completely absolutist position of the pacifist, then you are saying that you are prepared to allow someone else who has no such scruples to destroy all the values you've built up. This is what I used to argue with Mr. Woodsworth ... if you came to a choice between losing freedom of speech, religion, association, thought, and all the things that make life worth living, and resorting to force, you'd used force. What you have internationally is what you have within a nation. You must have law and order, and you must have the necessary military means to enforce that law and order."
I did not know about the Indian soldiers who fought for the British during WW II. Thank you for the link and for highlighting this aspect.
Agree completely about how war is sometimes unavoidable and "you must have the necessary military means to enforce that law and order." Indeed, in some situations, war might be deterred because of the threat of military force.
Nandini- Thank you so much for sharing this story. It’s a great reminder of what’s really important. 🙏
I'm an immigrant too (from Canada), so on Memorial Day, I remember the sacrifice of soldiers worldwide:
https://theconversation.com/why-remembrance-of-indian-soldiers-who-fought-for-the-british-in-world-war-ii-is-so-political-86885
Words of Canadian politician Tommy Douglas, before declaring war in 1939:
"If you accept the completely absolutist position of the pacifist, then you are saying that you are prepared to allow someone else who has no such scruples to destroy all the values you've built up. This is what I used to argue with Mr. Woodsworth ... if you came to a choice between losing freedom of speech, religion, association, thought, and all the things that make life worth living, and resorting to force, you'd used force. What you have internationally is what you have within a nation. You must have law and order, and you must have the necessary military means to enforce that law and order."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Douglas
Personally, I protested the war in Iraq, and don't think the US should have been involved there, but sometimes, war is unavoidable.
In any case, thank you for posting this story. I look forward to learning more about Alpa Ladani.
Marnie, thank you for your thoughtful comment.
I did not know about the Indian soldiers who fought for the British during WW II. Thank you for the link and for highlighting this aspect.
Agree completely about how war is sometimes unavoidable and "you must have the necessary military means to enforce that law and order." Indeed, in some situations, war might be deterred because of the threat of military force.