Liberalism

No, no, no, no, no, no, no ... no! It can't be. It mustn't be. You never got that letter - you wish. In your hands, trembling, you hold an unsuspiciously looking sheet of paper that you tore from its plain envelope. The sender was listed as Ministry of Defence, more specifically, the military high command. Your heart stopped, your blood grew cold, unable to breath, you tore it open recklessly, eager to find out it was a mistake, afraid of what it probably was. Deliriously you browsed the few lines, reading the simple instructions, directly addressed at you - your name was undoubtedly on that letter. It mustn't be. They promised you security and freedom. It can't be. You can't go to war! They can't just call you in. You are but 33 years old, have a whole life to live, countless adventures, parties, family reunions and weddings to attend; countries to visit and wonders to see - all gone in but a split second, by the hand of a white sheet of paper from those who had promised to keep you safe, out of harms way; from those who had promised that you could live your life, as your parents did, in better times; from those who always said "we will manage society, so everybody can do what they bloody want to do". You believed them. Lies. All the more bitter, in the prospect of standing in a bloody trench defending your "fatherland", the land that gave you everything you have - and now the land, that took it away; not with remorse or reluctantly, but coldly, calculatingly, through the power that you yourself handed to those self proclaimed protectors. "Our brave soldiers" - to hell with them; you don't love your country or its borders enough to actually fight and eventually die for them, you never had; even though that was part of the devils' bargain that you struck and renewed every four or five years in the elections. "If you want peace, prepare for war", they said. "We have no other way but to 'rearm Europe'", they said. And you believed them - hell, you applauded them for speaking out what you thought yourself. You never thought about, who would use them arms - we wouln't have to, they said. Now your time had come to forsake your liberty, your pacifism, your basic human decency for the good of ... what? Others still enjoying the very same life that you were promised once? It mustn't be. They said, it wouldn't happen this way. Had they made a mistake? Had they lied? Where did your perfect little world take the wrong turn? Now it paves it's way through the fields of dead soldiers and citizens alike... Where are your humanist values, now that you should kill the son of your cousin should you see him through the iron sights on the "wrong side", defending your "way of life"? War only happens in worlds far away from your own - in worlds that you can only glimpse at, through the camera lenses of brave reporters, trying to explain the numbers of childrens corpses by analyzing battle

tactics. Worlds, where the western values of pacifism, change through trade, and individualism by the hands of a free market don't mean a thing, because they have other ways, other customs and life goals there. How could war wreak havoc in an enlightened society that promises to slowly gravitate towards it's own ideal? How come you of all people have to defend your superior value system and social contract against anyone or anything? Shouldn't it be obvious, that your pacifism makes you no threat to anyone? Where did you go wrong? Where did your leaders and superiors go wrong?

No. You can't do this, you must hide; must get away. They can't look for everyone. But then again what is the alternative? You have listened to your superiors all your life. Who are you to stab them in the back, now that they ask you for help? You can't kill people, but maybe you can drive the van? You were a medic a long time ago - medics don't fight or get shot at, they help their comrades, keep them alive, serve them with a pinch of humanism in the terror that is war. Maybe they will let you do that, and you might survive, to see a new start, as your grandparents once did. Tears rolling down your face and onto the thin paper that weighs like a rock in your hands. With a breath in, all strength leaves; you fall into the chair sobbing, hoping to wake up from the nightmare that reality has become. You just want to drive a van through the hills of Scotland with a tent, or trek through the forests in the Appalachians. How is that too much to ask? It's not your fault the Russians went crazy. It's not your fault, that they started posing more and more threats to your fortress of Liberalism and Humanism.

You vaguely remember the light hearted gaming session you had three years ago, when the US, dropping NATO's Article 5 support, hit the news. "Europe's parents have quit their support", they said, "Europe needs to grow up now". Rightfully so. You shouldn't be dependent on the US anyway. If Europe was to play a role in a world of super powers, it needed to become one itself. It was always the cradle of western high civilization - a cradle that had be hardened against the enemies at it's borders. Europe itself is like a human - it has the intelligence of thousands of the best minds in science and economy, it keeps the culture and traditions that brought democracy to the world, and now it needs the well strengthened body of warriors to defend it's ways. It was the only logical step. Europe needs weapons, it needs an army - how else would you stop Russia from running across the continent, taking it by force, as it had done with Ukraine? But that was all far away. All those high ranking politicians did their work, so that Europe would be a respectable power, to be reckoned with. It would stand ready and nobody would dare raise their fist against you. But not once, had you thought about who was actually gonna be asked to be Europe's shield and sword. The letter you dropped to the floor while you sit hunched over in your chair, sobbing into your hands, made that painfully clear.

You try and think, but can't wrap your head around, how on earth your western values square with the most devastating message of your life. You did nothing wrong. Politics were always an abstract game, played by some suit wearing peoples in Vienna and Bruxelles, that only rarely impacted your life directly. Sometimes you voted for this and that and got a fraction of it, sometimes, your taxes were dropped or raised, and other times you really didn't care about something, because it was none of your business and you had better things to do anyway. Besides, politics never interested you - it was always this quarreling mess of talking around subjects, lies and money; far away from your nonpolitical life. Going for a swim isn't political. Neither really are concerts, the theater or game nights. Sure, sometimes some topic comes up, but what is your impact anyway? There are politicians, police, etc. that promised you legally, that they would run all of that and keep you unburdened, safe for elections. They have to keep that promise, don't they? You are living in a world of law, order and humanist values after all.

How do you get out of this? You can't travel anymore, at least not by plane. Maybe you can just go to Switzerland or live a quiet life with a couple friends in that one friend's hut somewhere in the woods. You could try and get to Japan, maybe by flying from Istanbul after getting there by train and bus; forget all about that maddening, paralyzing situation they have gotten you into. It's not your fault anyway - how could it be; you did your part in the system. You voted for pacifist, liberal parties and went to that one demo, to try and convince the politicians to stop the coalition with the extreme right - and it worked. No one can blame you for it - you didn't do anything. It's Russia's fault. It's the US's fault. They're the ones to blame; they changed the status quo. Yesterday's ZiB 1 was right indeed: Europe is the only safe haven for liberal values left, and it must be defended. Maybe you could build drones or repair tanks ... anything but the frontline. Please, god, not the frontline.

It seems like yesterday, when the European Defence Alliance was founded - the phoenix that NATO became after the US could not be trusted anymore. It was still the same organization, but it focused on Europe, as it should. That proud fiery bird of prey has now called upon it's children to lay ashes to those who dare oppose it, you think with the tiniest feeling of Euronational pride, as you take a deep breath, wipe them tears away, and start heading upstairs to pack your bag for military service. Your liberal way of life needs you. They will not take Europe or Austria. Your state needs you. Democracy needs you. If this Austria, this democracy is lost, what is life anyway? You'll build drones and safe soldiers and your peoples' lifes. Europe'll be fine; you will be fine; after the war...

Story, War