{"id":519,"date":"2015-11-11T23:57:11","date_gmt":"2015-11-12T04:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gilcanrun.com\/?p=519"},"modified":"2015-11-12T00:02:27","modified_gmt":"2015-11-12T05:02:27","slug":"armistice-day-is-here-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gilcanrun.com\/?p=519","title":{"rendered":"Armistice Day is here again"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yeah, I called it Armistice Day, that is what it originally was, a day to remember “The war to end all wars” as it was called, and they were wrong. So I went for a run<\/a>, and it was cold and damp and I made it through. I like the pace I’ve been able to keep, and I like that I’ve been able to get up the big hill to start off at such a good pace. I only have 3, maybe 4 more runs before Philly, if I decide to put in a few miles Wednesday or Thursday next week.
\n3:45 is going to be a tough time to hit, that’s a further 8 minutes off my current PR and that’s a tall order. I hope I can maintain. Focus is going to be key.
\nMeanwhile, all I could think about today was what I would say about Armistice Day. I suppose I should preface everything by saying that some of the finest people I know in this world have served in the Armed Forces, during wars. They are not the finest people I know because they served in a military during a war, they were good people before, and they are good people now, if they had never joined, they would still be as good as they are now, their service has no bearing on how I feel about them personally.
\nThat being said, I have said many times that all freedom is self-inherent. It is not granted to us by nations, pieces of papers, armies. It is not protected through violence, or the threat of violence. Quite the opposite, in fact. If I am fearful “that guy over there” is going to “take my freedom away”, then I am already a prisoner. I understand the implication of what I say. People will say “Some tyrant could come and what about this historical figure who was awful, what about a law that stops you from…” I’ve heard it all. Here are the important parts, there are already laws that tell me not to do things that I think are right and just. I still give homeless people food if I have some on me. Ticket me, sanction me, throw me in jail, I don’t care. If some tyrant took over the country I was living in, or even the whole world, ask yourself, would you blindly follow along, or would you resist? Is your “freedom” worth more than your life? If the answer to that is yes, then you are already a prisoner.
\nTo that end, I believe in Satyagraha insistence on the force of truth. I’ll let Sir Ben Kingsley, playing the part of Gandhi, explain<\/a>. “They may torture my body, break my bones, even kill me; then they will have my dead body, not my obedience.” That is the essence of freedom right there.
\nSo where does that leave me? Well, regardless of the fact that I believe all wars of modern civilization are wars of choice and imperialism, the people who sign up do not agree. It’s a difficult atmosphere to even have this discussion today. This hyper-patriotism makes it near impossible to make the argument that wars don’t need to be fought. I suppose when\u00a0peace wins the day, then I will celebrate everyone who went to war for all these centuries. When the “War to end all wars” is finally over, then I will finally be able to thank all of us who fight this war called civilization.
\nHave fun in the meantime, keep running, and remember, if Gil can run, then so can you.<\/p>\n

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