The dictionary definition of humanity is “humaneness, benevolence” however, that definition is rather vague and there is more to the definition of humanity than just benevolence. For me having humanity means encompassing certain values and morals. Some of these values include compassion and moral goodness. Furthermore, some distinguishing features that separates humans from the other mammals is our ability to reason and think. Most of the animals in the animal kingdom just follow their instinct, and if they do think their thinking capabilities are very limited (with some exceptions of course).
War can make soldiers lose their humanity
In regards to the subject of exploring humanity in war, I think that it can be both a good thing and a bad thing. It can be good because even in war there are rules of engagement and war crimes do exist, meaning that the combatants still have to follow certain rules and not just kill everyone in sight. Furthermore, in one of the past lectures it was mentioned that some soldiers were reluctant to kill enemy soldiers after witnessing them perform actions that they themselves sometimes did, like smoking or playing cards. These actions made the soldiers realize that the other soldiers were in the same situation they were in and that they too might have family and be an otherwise normal civilian if it wasn’t for the war. Instances like these help display the humanity in the soldiers and make the outside world realize that soldiers aren’t just soldiers but everyday people.
Humanity isn’t something that someone is always guaranteed to have
On the other hand, the idea of binary opposition might emerge within the soldiers’ minds. Binary opposition is the idea that there are two mutually exclusive sides that oppose each other. An example of binary opposition happening has to do with Chris Kyle, a Navy SEAL, who described his enemies as “Savage, despicable evil. That’s what we were fighting in Iraq. That’s why a lot of people, myself included, called the enemy ‘savages.’ There really was no other way to describe what we encountered there.” In this quote Chris clearly sees a distinction between soldiers like him and the insurgents that he was fighting. In a way, by portraying the insurgents as being barbaric he might make killing them easier since it is easier to kill someone who is barbaric and thus gives the impression that they have no ties or bonds with family since these ties are made by only those who are civilized.
War is a very traumatic experience because the soldiers have to sometimes do horrible things just to survive, things they wouldn’t have to do in their normal lives. There have been countless moments in history where soldiers pillage the villages and towns nearby and kill the civilians in them while making the excuse that they all their actions were in the heat of the war. Overall, humanity can be defined as being morally good even in tough situations and I feel like war is a good example in showing the humanity (or lack of it) in many of the soldiers involved in wars.
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