A quick note...

[lithera]

This is the lamest damned question ever.

Who has the more honorable profession: a teacher who cultivates young minds or a soldier who defends your country?

Comments

[apestyle.livejournal.com]

Define "honorable", and we have a chance to answer this question.

[eggiebert.livejournal.com]

Exactly.

[mistergone.livejournal.com]

1. Deserving or winning honor and respect: led an honorable life.
2. Bringing distinction or recognition: honorable service to one's nation.
3. Possessing and characterized by honor: an honorable person.
4. Consistent with honor or good name: followed the only honorable course of action.
5. Distinguished; illustrious: this honorable gathering of scholars.
6. Attended by marks of recognition and honor: received an honorable burial.

But you guys probably want a more philosophical discussion of honor.

Personally, I think the whole point of the question is really, "What is your concept of honor?"

[lithera.livejournal.com]

Probably. I don't know if I can make that choice, though. I was raised a military brat and in a family of teachers. Without either, we're in a whole lot of trouble...

That's not really a choice I can make, I don't think.

[gehn.livejournal.com]

That's why there's that skip button.. ;)

[lithera.livejournal.com]

There wasn't a skip on that one. It disappears from time to time. I was annoyed.

[eggiebert.livejournal.com]

As far as being honorable, they must be deemed equal. The issue is the kind of timeline deeming them useful. If the soldier is needed before the teacher is done with her job, it could nullifies how useful she was. But that's an answer of their productivity and usefulness, not being honorable.

[lithera.livejournal.com]

The time line can work both ways, here. It still doesn't tackle the honor bits.

[eggiebert.livejournal.com]

I'm sticking to it that they must be deemed equaly honorable. Equal but using a different value set.

[purrthecat.livejournal.com]

*smirk* I just HAVE to stir it.

Firstly, the question is a load of bollocks. Honour is an 'opinion' and is personal to each person. There are different senses of honour.

Secondly, militaries (ESPECIALLY the US one) is not doing a hell of a lot of 'defending'. But I suppose that's just my 'OPINION'.

:) Where'd this lame question come from anyway?

[sausage-boy.livejournal.com]

Thank you. How in the hell can you quantify an intangible value?

[lithera.livejournal.com]

*nods*

[lithera.livejournal.com]

Well, I have a lot of compassion for the people in the military. I grew up with them around me and while I've never personally been in the service, I do know many, many people who have. It's a particular mindset and I have to say I am thankful for them. Reading about all of the people dying... Well, it's painful to me. I may not agree with why they were sent but they're over there and I'll be damned if I don't support them. It's two different things.

Enough of that. It's apart from the thing here.

It came from the land of lame questions - OkCupid. A lot of the questions over there are this way. Most often I want another choice.

[purrthecat.livejournal.com]

As do I, however, that doesn't mean I have to 'support' what they do as a job.

I disagree STRONGLY with the invasion of Iraq. The reasons the action was originally supported have proved to be false. I don't think that not supporting something is the same as blaming the military personnel for the decisions of their Commander. Too bad they can't strike. Now, that would be interesting.

Anyway, sorry to get all political and opinionated. ;)

[lithera.livejournal.com]

I don't mind. I'd rather people tell me how they think and feel than not.

[sgoilear.livejournal.com]

If the soldier is defending your country, they're the more honorable of the two -- I say this with family (and friends) who have done both.

However, compared to the soldier send to kill people not attacking your country, or to enforce a foreign policy based predominantly in economics ... I'll elevate the teacher over the soldier.

[seanb.livejournal.com]

Trick question. Both are absolutely necessarry, and both are highly respected - in certain social circles. And both are treated like dirt at least 90% of the time.

"Honarable profession" implies an objective value judgement, which I am not going to touch. I, personally, have more respect for the average teacher than for the average soldier, although exceptional cases are ... exceptional.

[sharkcowsheep.livejournal.com]

Ehn.

Soldier defending my country? Too indefinite. Soldier shooting somebody who would otherwise drive over me in a tank or something? That's pretty rad, but I dunno if it's actually honorable.

However, the question is ALSO blthely assuming that all teachers cultivate young minds, and that surely ain't so. I have had my share of crap teachers. That half of the equation is also flawed.

Bah. This is a crap question in every way. Obviously it's formulated 'to get people talking', but if the people talking about it have any sense they'll realize they're being toyed with by a stupid question to accomplish fuck-all. I defy it!

[prince-inari.livejournal.com]

This one absolutely depends on the quality of the teacher or soldier in question. A bad teacher twists minds, and in truth we are all teachers. That is the defining difference between humanity and any other species on Earth: We teach.

A bad soldier malingers or lets his fellows down when they're counting on him and gets them killed. Not all of us are soldiers. It takes a unique courage in order to do it well.

Which does more good? The teacher. A good teacher can reach and enrich hundreds, maybe thousands of minds in his/her career, whereas a good soldier might save one life, if that. But the good soldier will stand there and risk his/her life for someone else's priveledges.

What do I believe? Soldier, because compared to being a professional warrior, teaching is a cakewalk. I've done both. But I wouldn't have any problem with someone that disagreed with me. Teaching is a very noble endeavor as well.

[lithera.livejournal.com]

I don't know what I believe. I've been a teacher and while I think I was a good one, it wasn't good for me. I 've never been a soldier and I don't know how good of one I would be at all.

I just think the question sucks all the way around.