Remember the cartoon strip when the man climbs the mountain to seek advice from the wise man living at the top?
Philosopher Jake: How did Switzerland stay a country for so long with no army?
Philosopher Will: It’s because they control all the chocolate.
Jake’s question is something I have wondered myself? Perhaps the answer is it’s because Switzerland does not pose a threat to anyone. Or despite of all the differences there are that become somehow justification for war, there is a need in the world for somebody to not takes sides – to remain neutral. Or could it be a simple as a country saying we do not need an army, war is wrong, and we refuse to participate.
I am tempted to wax on about the current state of our country’s penchant to get into scrapes around the world, but that is not why you read this site or why you sit quietly with God and meditate every day. But Switzerland’s position in the world does give us pause to think about our own role in the life of our own community. Should we refuse to have an army or are there some injustices that require our active intervention. Is it possible to remain neutral? Is there a middle ground that allows us to express our distaste for injustice without taking up arms. Do we bring on violence or injustice, by maintaining our own army of violence and injustice? These are difficult questions and deserve our thought and discussion.
But, in the end, it never hurts to store a lot of chocolate.
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