Junger: On Pain

Passage:

In war, when shells fly past our bodies at high speeds, we sense clearly that no level of intelligence, virtue, or fortitude is strong enough to deflect them, not even by a hair. To the extent this threat increases, doubt concerning the validity of our values forces itself upon us. The mind tends toward a catastrophic interpretation of things wherever it sees everything called into question (pp. 5-6).

Interpretation:

This passage by Junger suggests that morals, beliefs, and values that humans inherently possess are useless traits that help us none in events of war and politics. He also states how the threat of war makes us doubt the meaning of our values. This is a contradiction of pain that liberal society holds in which good will always triumph over evil. Junger is saying that good is actually weak and can’t be a powerful entity. Evil is what really triumphs because violence is the main factor in conquering one’s enemies and expanding. He suggests that liberalism denies progress, and that pain overcomes any intangible trait that we have which is why he mentions that virtue and fortitude cannot deflect bullets that are fired at us. Progress has to be done with weaponry instead of harmony.

I chose this passage because as we look back into history, civilization could have never started without pain or violence. The progress of any kingdom or state stemmed from war and oppression. For example, the U.S. couldn’t have expanded into the huge nation it has become today if not for violence. I agree that liberalism denies or conceals the relationship to pain, thus, making it a passive means of power. Pain is the forceful impassive way of dominating one another. Being moral and good natured will no longer protect us in our world today with the terrorism and war we are all faced with. Ultimately, Junger describes the amount of pain we can endure the determining factor in how strong a state can be.