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Three thought-provoking quotes from Jeff McMahan's article Innocence, Self-Defense and Killing in War:

Three thought-provoking quotes from Jeff McMahan's article Innocence, Self-Defense and Killing in War:

...it is not obvious why a political leader who orders troops into battle is engaged in causing harm while voters in a democracy who demand that the leader should do so are not; or why drivers who transport arms to the troops count as combatants while the taxpayers who provide the arms by paying for them do not; or why a soldier who is asleep or sitting at a desk well behind the lines can be regarded as threatening or causing harm when a civilian editorialist who stirs support for the war is not...

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Persons who join the military are typically aware that this abdication of moral autonomy is a condition of military life; indeed, some join the military in part in order to enjoy the freedom from responsibility. They know, in short, that they are allowing themselves to become instruments of the wills of others. There is, moreover, something else they could know with a little reflection, which is that most wars in which people fight are unjust. This follows from the assumption that a war can be just on at most one side, though it can be unjust on both.

Even if this formal assumption is unwarranted, it does seem true as a contingent fact that very few wars, if any, have been just on both sides, while, as Anscombe puts it, “human pride, malice and cruelty are so usual that. . . wars have mostly been mere wickedness on both sides.” Putting these two points together, we arrive at the conclusion that, in joining the military, one allows oneself to become an instrument for the violent pursuit of purposes that are more than likely to be unjust. How can this possibly be a morally acceptable thing to do? Of course, in many cases, the pressure to join the military may be nearly as strong as the pressure, once one is in the military, to surrender the prerogative of determining for oneself whether or not the war in which one is asked to fight is just. It is only when this is true that there can be a convincing case for regarding an Unjust Combatant as morally innocent. For, otherwise, following one’s superiors into an unjust war is roughly analogous to committing a crime while drunk: one may not be responsible for one’s action given one’s condition at the time, but one’s conduct nevertheless remains culpable because of one’s responsibility for getting oneself into a condition of diminished responsibility.

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First, the morality of war, and not the rules of war, is what should govern the conscience of the individual soldier. In particular, if the individual soldier has reason to believe or suspect that his country’s war is unjust, this is equivalent to believing or suspecting that his action as a belligerent in this war is or would be murderous. If he is convinced that the war is unjust, then he must not participate.

Postmodernisme vs Post-postmodernisme

Ek dink die hedendaagse kritiek teen die postmodernisme is misplaas. Nie dat die postmodernisme nie sonder haar foute is nie, maar die kritiek wat tans deur prominente figure soos Jordan Peterson aan die postmodernisme toegerig is, konkretiseer vir my twee dinge: eerstens, die kritici verstaan nie regtig die postmodernisme nie, en dus misgis hulle dit wat hulle kritiseer, naamlik 'n nuwe tydsgees, vir die postmodernisme; tweedens, die nuwe tydsgees (wat nog sonder 'n gevestigde naam is en wat ons maar vir nou post-postmodernisme kan noem) is nog nie genoegsaam gekristalliseer in die akademie en openbare psige nie.

Om my punt te maak, mense verwys na die alternatiewe-regses ("Alt-Right"), Antifa en Neo-Marxistiese bewegings in Amerika en noem die groepe "Postmodern"; soortgelyk kan daar na groepe in Suid-Afrika, soos EFF of BLF, vingergewys word en afgejak word as 'n manifestering van postmodernistiese pogings om magstrukture omver te werp. Maar, hierdie radikale groepe is juis on-postmodernisties, omdat ware postmodernisme te gefragmenteer en individualisties is, en rondweg te blasé is, om tribalisties geradikaliseer te word.

Die postmoderne identiteit (maw, 'n postmoderne mens) is deel van verskeie identiteite en neem deel aan verskeie groepe of gemeenskappe. Dink aan die kontemporêre Christen wat ook joga doen, die Dalai Lama se boeke lees, en weekliks haar sterreteken in die Huisgenoot opsoek. Hierdie tipe persoon is nie fanaties oor enige van haar spirituele-identiteite nie, wat nes klere aan en uit getrek kan word soos die situasie daarna uitsien. Sy is 'n postmoderne identiteit -- individualisties, gefragmenteerd, en tot 'n mate sinies teenoor alle pogings tot waarheidsaansprake; gevolglik haar inklusiewe agting vanuit verskeie bronne.

Daarinteen staan die post-postmoderne identiteit: in plaas van individualisties, is die persoon eksklusief. In plaas van deel wees van verskeie gemeenskappe, is die persoon tribalisties. Identiteite word nie aangepas soos kledingstukke nie, maar 'n spesifieke identiteit word tot 'n stam ("tribe") verhef. Dit is nie bloot toeval dat lede van EFF almal dieselfde kledingstukke dra nie. Sulke geradikaliseerde groepe (Amerika se Alt-Regses tot Antifa, tot ISIS) is teenstrydig met postmoderne identiteitskenmerke, en weerspieël eerder die nuwe post-postmoderne identiteitskenmerke.

Daar is natuurlik veel meer wat ek oor die onderwerp kan sê, maar ek vind dit vreemd dat so baie diep denkers, en veral daardie prominente stemme in die huidige openbare diskoers soos Jordan Peterson, nie raaksien dat ons besig is om in 'n nuwe tydsgees in te beweeg nie; dat dit wat hulle as postmodernisme kritiseer, juis nie postmodernisties is nie. Hoe kan mense nie sien dat die Europeuse-unie se vervaagde grense 'n postmodernistiese poging was nie, terwyl Brexit 'n post-postmodernistiese ommekeer is nie? Dat pogings om mense se taal te beheer (soos die kontroversiële transfobie wetgewing in Kanada) staan in direkte kontras met die postmodernisme se inherente wantroue in taal soos uitgewys deur die Post-Strukturaliste, onder meer Dekonstruksie?

DIt is seker moontlik dat hierdie gesprek tog êrens plaas vind en dat ek net nie daarvan bewus is nie, maar die idee wat ek van die openbare diskoers kry, is dat feitlik almal die postmodernisme met die post-postmodernisme misgis.

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“When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” ― Haruki Murakami

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"The real violence, the violence I realized was unforgivable, is the violence that we do to ourselves, when we're too afraid to be who we really are." -- Sense8, S1E9.

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"Every problem in the world is the result of broken relationships." — Dean Schurmann

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"No finite point has meaning without an infinite reference point." — Jean-Paul Sartre

'n Droom oor grootmens word

Opsoek na iets anders, kom ek op hierdie af wat ek op 26 September 2018 geskryf het. Ek het gedink om die oorspronklike dokument uit te vee, en toe dink ek om die droom maar hier te kom plak, omdat ek soms in die verlede ook sulke drome hier gedeel het. Deesdae is ek nie meer seker regtig wat die funksie van die blog is nie... 'n Bêre plek, blyk dit vir my, vir ou herinneringe. 

’n Paar dae gelede droom ek dat my ouers is oppad om vir my in my huis te kom kuier. Die huis in my droom was nie hier in Korea nie—ek vermoed dit was in Potchefstroom as ek die omgewing reg herken. Ek kan ook nie veel verder onthou wat in die droom gebeur het nie, behalwe ’n nágevoel wat by my gebly het vir ’n lang ruk, selfs nadat ek met my dag begin het.

Dit het my lank geneem, sowat twee dae, om te besef wat aan die gevoel sulke potensie gee. My konklusie is dat ek wens ek het ouers gehad wat my kon sien groot word, en kon sien hoe ek my manstaan in die “grootmenswêreld.”

In die droom was my ouers oppad om my te besoek in mý huis, waarin ek die geleentheid kon hê om gasheer vir hulle te wees. Hierdie is iets wat ek nooit beleef het nie. Weens omstandighede het my ouers my nooit besoek toe ek skool verlaat het en universiteit was nie. Hulle het nie eenkeer voet gesit in die studentekamers wat ek gehuur het nie. Toe ek my eie eerste woonstel gekry het­­­­—’n rondawel in die bosse in Mtunzini, het hulle dit nie gesien nie. En, soos die droom uitwys, het ek nooit die kans gehad om my ouers my plek te wys, vir hulle slaapplek te gee, of kos voor voor te berei nie—nie eens in my drome nie, want met die juiste droom het ek wakker geword nog voordat hulle opgedaag het.

Dit is ’n nuwe insig vir my, dat hierdie ’n algemene ritueel in die pad tot volwassenheid is: wanneer die ouers vir hulle kinders kom kuier in die kinders se woning. Moontlik is díe selfs ’n argetipiese ritueel wat meeste mense nie eens besef is deel van hulle ontwikkelingsproses nie; dit is só normaal, maar ook so fundamenteel, as om jou geliefde aan jou ouers vir die eerste keer te gaan voorstel (of om jou geliefde se ouers te gaan ontmoet), of soos daardie eerste salaris wat jy ontvang by jou eerste werk, of jou die eerste keer wat jy seks het. Elkeen van hierdie dinge is ’n tree tot volwassenheid, en wanneer jy op een daarvan uitmis, is jou onderbewuste daarop attend.

Gister, 25 September, sou my pa se verjaardag gewees het. Alhoewel hy tot ’n rype ouderdom van 80+ jaar geleef het, het ek hom as vaderfiguur lankal reeds verloor. Dit is nog ’n insig wat ek en my jonger broer onlangs gehad het. Baie mense wat weet dat ons pa verlede jaar gesterf het, besef nie dat ons byna twee dekades vroeër reeds ’n vaderfiguur verloor het nie. Ja, hy was ons pa—maar hy was lankal nie meer die vaderfiguurlike simbool wat ’n vader moes wees nie. Hy het nie voorsien, onderhou, of beskerm nie. Hy kon ons nie leer wat dit beteken om ’n man te wees nie. Hy kon nie ons suksesse erken, trotsheid toon of lof deel nie. Dit is ook ’n verlies wat ek meer van bewus raak nou dat ek self my eie middeljare nader. Volgende jaar sal ek veertig wees.

Some things I did in 2017

January 2017

I flew from Korea to South Africa on December 30, 2016. My planner for January is practically empty, so it is not much of a source for what I did. But photos from my January folder tells a much busier tail. First a quick stop in Hong Kong. I took some really nice street photography.

Then time spent with family at my cousin's place on New Year's Day.

I have a few pics of my brother where he still lived in a commune, so that is where I spent part of my time in January, and meetups with other friends and family in the days to follow. By January 5th I'm in Durban.

 

There are also pictures from Pinetown and Pietermaritzburg, including a beautiful monastery that I visited with my bestie.

And a visit to the Pinetown Stingers Taekwon-Do Club.

The next set of pictures are of me with my nephews in the Vaal Triangle and other local friends, before pictures of Grey's College in Johannesbug, where I attended a screening of BBC's new Earth documentaries. Followed by pics of my cousin and her husband, and my younger brother and I exploring caves.

My journey led me back to Johannesburg, to help my brother scout for a place to stay.

Lunar New Year was spent, like the previous year, in downtown Joburg, in Chinatown (around Fox Street 1).

By the end of the month, I'm in Grobblersdal at the Taekwon-Do school to teach some classes.

February 2017

Grobblersdal I journeyed to friends in Potgietersrus, and from there to Polokwane to visit friends further up north, and Tzaneen. Back to Polokwane to quickly see another friend before taking a bus back to Pretoria, in order to attend a family gathering on the 5th. It was a very memorable time for me. Some of the people there I haven't seen in decades.

My journey took me further from Pretoria to Johannesburg and by bus from there to Potchefstroom, which of course included a visit to my dojang there, and visits with several of my friends and some family there.

Other photos are evidence of more time spent with my brother in Johannesburg in his new apartment including some local hang-outs, as well as a Hapkido seminar I hosted. This was the first Hapkido seminar in South Africa to be held by the Korea Hapkido Federation, of which I am the representative.

Lots of photos in my folder about Hong Kong follow -- as I had my layover back to Korea again via Hong Kong. I stayed in Hong Kong for about four days.

March 2018

My digital planner became useful again in March, with several luncheon and dinner appointments with friends and no less than five dance performances listed. It is also the month of my birth, so I had hosted a big birthday gather with friends again.

There are also photos of Taekwon-Do training and homemade desserts.

April 2018

In April I must have had backache, because my planner shows four chiropractic appointments. There are more performances attended and a couple of dates with friends. There are also pictures outdoors -- if I remember correctly I had a little private getaway one afternoon to the river. And the photo folder finishes with pictures in Joenju at the International Jeonju Film Festival.

May 2018

Photos reveal a visit to a Bhuddhist Temple for Buddha's Birthday. I also went to Asan for the Asan Outdoor Arts Festival, and my first big photoshoot for the year was in May. It was for an Macbook / iMac Pro carrybag.

I hung out with some martial arts friends, and also attended the annual Korea Hapkido Federation's international training camp.

May is also the start of MODAFE (Modern Dance Festival), hence I attended many excellent dance performances. I count around six performances scheduled on my planner.

June 2018

In June I went to some performances, including combined performance of Taekkyeon and Traditional Korean Dance; I also met up with friends from Japan and Germany, and acquired an antique Korean cabinet. The Korean demonstration team from the North came to the South to participate in ceremonies for the World Taekwondo Championships, during which time I attended to particpate in a Taekwon-Do conference, where I presented a paper.

July 2016

I moved into a little martial arts studio on a roof top. I went to the Seoul Cartoon Museum, the Do-San Museum and took photos of some beautiful buildings in Gangnam. My digital planner doesn't list much for July. I probably spent the first part of it finishing off student grades. There were some art made.

August 2016

August started with the 7th Global Taekwondo Leaders Forum.

I had an interesting photoshoot for a pet food commercial at a beach, and a camping trip that included kayaking with a friend (at Damyeong Resort), with a trip to a lotus flower park, hanging out with dancer friends, meeting up with a friend visiting from the States, going to a Bangsky exhibit, and a videoshoot in which I'm acting as some craftsman/engineer. It was pretty cool.

September 2017

September involved more photoshoots, some performances by friends, and a Radio interview with the K-Pop diva Lena Park. I also notice pictures of at least two art exhibits, and a Taekwondo forum attended.

October 2017

I went to numerous SIDANCE (Seoul International Dance Festival) performances, catching up with some old dancer friends, and meeting a few new ones. Some art was made. And there was even a little dress-up for Halloween. My planner also lists at least three photoshoots. I also participated in a dance performance in which I recited a poem and did some martial arts movements.

November 207

More dance performances, photoshoots, and pictures of fall foliage, and art made.

I made this skull drawing one evening after grading a heap of student assignments and feeling that existential dread that teachers around the world knows all too well, when they realise that there are still mountains of more grading to be done.

For November, my picture folder also shows some martial arts photos, training with my students.

December 2017

December starts with attending the International Conference of Taekwondo, hosted at the Taekwondowon in Muju. I spent some extra time with my friend Dr. George Vitale, who came from the States to be a keynote speaker at the event. The first weekend is a nice couple of days spent with friends and talking about Taekwondo until odd hours of the night. During December I was part of a series of photoshoots for a commercial for Ssangyong's new ranger. It was hard work, but a great experience.

And then I went to Cambodia. I was to chaperone students from my department who went there as volunteer workers at a little school in a rural area. While they continued with their volunteer work, I worked on my students final grades. At the end, we had three days to travel around Cambodia. Unfortunately, I came down with a super bad flu, that involved fealing dreadful and a terribly high fever. I stayed in bed most of the time. We arrived back in Korea on the 29th. I had a photoshoot on the 31st.

And that is a quick summary of 2018. Of course, what's not much touch on are the every day regular work as a literature professor, the Korean language lessons I took, and other things I forgot to document, such as book read, podcasts listened to, movies watched, and so on.