Soldiering : A philosophical elucidation

18 May 2012, 18:00 PM

Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Al Mamun, psc, G

ARMY RECOGNITION

The word 'Philosophy' means love of wisdom. Throughout the ages philosophy both slowly and rapidly shaped the society. So to the soldiering being the oldest profession and it has its own glamour due to many reasons. Soldiering is mostly related to mission accomplishment, velour, sacrifice, selflessness etc. Therefore, soldier's creed is something special that only soldiers can feel. On many counts it is the profession for the adventurous and their activities remain all times challenging. Throughout the history, training for soldiers was the best. From the ancient time one of the greatest philosophers of that era, Aristotle was the teacher and mentor of Alexander. Possibly, 'setting personal example' while leading the people in danger turned into a dictum in leadership trait since then. Alexander, being the son of a King felt fully responsible for the wellbeing and development of the Greeks. However, he strongly believed in aristocracy as part of good governance and decision making. In the same era, a Chinese philosopher Sun Zu appeared with the 'ART OF WAR'. Here he postulated the philosophy of harmony between commanders and under commands and amongst the branches of organization(s). In the 19th Century Carl Von Clausewitz also described the requirement of harmony of elements of an army as most of the military matters are the product of free activities of the soul. Hence, selecting and grooming a group of young men to officers (leaders) need due attention. Therefore, the selection of both selectors and makers of the leaders require special care. Soldiers have captured world history and a good number of American presidents have been from this cadre. Out of forty four US presidents, more than thirty had military training. A Republican president Abraham Lincoln's interpretation on 'Democracy' was people centric, simple and is considered to be the best. Three clean heart infantrymen like George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight D. Eisenhower were General of the Army before serving the Americans as president. They were from both the Republican and Democrat camps. Another five star general, General George C Marshall, own the Nobel Prize for formulating European Recovery Plan. Ex-Artillery Colonel Harry S Truman made the most bold and decisive decisions for honour and pride of the US. This simple living democrat soldier was termed 'AN HONEST PRESIDENT' something the Americans can dream of only of now. He lived with 'Honour and Pride' and he never served for money after retirement. General Doglus MacAurther, a most competent engineer officer was the symbol of Americans pride. He had the highest commands out of the homeland. He believed, proved and spoke 'old soldiers never die, they just fade away.' Due to modernization, in the 21st century the profile of soldiering has changed. The society is now materialistic that falls under the Napoleon's hypothesis of fear and interest that drives the people to work. Of course a motivated people are free from those. An analysis on the nationalism and religion unveils that people or countries that are religious are more nationalistic. This was Samuel P Huntington's assumption and it is the most accurate and true for Bangladesh Army. Most of our people are religious. Family and social values are strictly followed in our army. Therefore, a cursory view of it may be misleading especially when religion is linked negatively with conservatism. Since good soldiering requires high level of morality, good character quality and wisdom, therefore, our approach is worthy. The visible outcome that Bangladesh Army enjoys is that it has been ranked high by the UN. And the profile of our army and the senior leaderships are distinctive, especially on discipline and loyalty towards the superiors and the country. Universally, leadership is top down that portrays the profile of the organization. Therefore, the achievements of Bangladesh Army so far are the result of wisdom, vision and guidance by the senior leadership. However, there are differences with the western philosophy and ours which stems primarily from religion. Due to many reasons Islam has similarity with Confucian philosophy where modest and obedient subordinates are the requirement to uphold the organizational creed. Hence, our leadership acts like both guardians and administers, provide guidance and punishment (sometimes) as the head of the families. Therefore, such family bonds should sustain and prevail by all means for good. Let us also remember Tolstoy's single family concept and hypothesis on greatness (hero) after death and the mystery thereafter. The author is a General Staff Officer Grade-1 in Army Headquarters, Bangladesh Army.