Nate Fish’s Blog

I just watched a movie called In the Valley of Elah, starring Tommy Lee Jones. The movie follows the unfolding of some very inhumane acts and disturbing attitudes taken on by some soldiers just returning from Iraq. TLJ plays the father of one of the soldiers. More on the plot at IMDB.com. I just want to relay what I understood overall from it.

There is an absence of absolutes in society today and that creates a problem for modern warfare. The frontline soldier must believe in an absolute right or wrong to justify the brave duty that soldier must take. Without those absolutes, the soldiers actions will become heartless, which of course takes one down a potentially dark path (as seen in this film). The film itself leaves you with the sense that this is the way it is period, but I don’t believe so. It does seem very possible however, for reasons I just stated.

I will say that the movie is what caused me to think more about the justification for war. It’s not just about having a reason to fight. There are always consequences.

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Jackson knows what he doing.