“Righteous Kill”

If I agree, I have to also agree that waging preemptive wars is ok. I'll have to agree that waging wars to eventually spread democracy is ok, or to liberate people from oppressive regimes. At least i'll have to agree that detaining certain people is necessary to keep us safe. But who is to say who the “right people” are?

If I disagree with a lil shooting, I implicitly agree that matters should be left to circumstance. I'll have to agree that other people have to solve their problems on their own, as long as I am not directly affected.

Whether I agree or don't, I put myself into a line of fire. Would I rather be too bold or too careless? Owning a gun cannot answer these questions for you.

Scenario 1: Imagine that a jerk has found a way to severely oppress your brother. What do you do? Would you risk killing the jerk, to liberate your brother?

Scenario 2: Imagine you are in a room with two other human beings. The room has no door. One of your counterparts has asserted authority over the other and is oppressing that person in every conceivable way. You are not directly involved in the conflict. Would you step in and risk killing the oppressor, in the name of freedom?

Scenario 3: Imagine you were one of only three human beings on the planet. You have to share the same resources with your kin, and the same space. A small world. All else works just like in our actual world. You own some resources, and so do they. You like some of the things they own, and they like some of the things you own. You have beliefs, and so do they. You speak your language, and they speak theirs. There are stars in the sky. Your life is ok - so it seems. But the other two humans live in tension, because one is oppressed by the other. The oppressor has authority and is able to exploit the other. Would you step in and risk killing the oppressor, in the name of ... whatever?

Scenario 4 - the real world: Iranians live a hideous life under an oppressive regime that is not afraid to kill its own people to assert authority. What do you say?

• Let's go and liberate them - for the right thing, for freedom!
• Why should I care? Change has to come from within Iran and should not be forced violently from outside.