Rant 35 : A call to arms

During college, what began as mere curiosity during high school, emerged as a continual rant against 'THE MAN' …the government or let’s say civil rule in general. (hell you can call it Life in general...but time constraints prevent such an exhaustive post)
Enter the documentary phase (currently ongoing). Various movies, comprising earth-shattering revelations (not to mention the bible’s own "happy ending" to life), drove metaphorical rods through my skull.
"The Bush administration was behind 9/11? Saddam was a kindly gentleman? Hitler was a CIA agent? McDonald’s is the world’s next superpower? Jenna from those porn flicks is a dude?"
(Ok, I made up that last one…but you get the idea right?)

Then of course I met others in college who had well reasoned arguments (and who were definitely much better read than I) about how our own government was brutally oppressing sections of the populations who had no other choice but to take up arms. This relatively new aspect has kind of troubled me for a while now.
A few months since leaving college, I’ve been having discussions with a friend. Both of us have our qualms against THE MAN, yet in the true spirit of Free Thinking, we find ourselves opposed on certain counts.
I happened to mention that as a patriotic Indian (for the land, maybe not the government) I would probably answer a call to arms if war broke out (I might add, only if my country is NOT the aggressor). Her reply began a discussion on borders and an attack on the concept of state etc. How they were western ideals and that India had just been a massive piece of land with no real borders till the British colonized us.
I just put forth, "But we have borders now. It’s the present I’m concerned about. You want to tell all the countries to get rid of borders? Who is going to listen?"
She continued, "Governments go to war…not nations. Why do you want to take up arms, kill or get killed for a government?"
Yes, why would I…or why should I? My answer is no, I will not kill and try my best not to BE killed in a war of aggression. BUT, if my country is being attacked, which effectively means some assholes in a different country decided, all humans were not equal or that my countrymen deserved to die for governmental faults (otherwise called Failing Diplomatic tactics), then YES, I will answer the people’s call to resist.
In this context I am referring to a democratic (people) government’s call to a war of defense.
(the friend again) "If you run away from a war zone in order to survive, you’re not being a coward, you’re being clever."
OK…so if my area (my town, city, country whatever) is being attacked and Mothers, Fathers, Brothers and Sisters are being killed, I should act "clever" and get the hell out of there? No, I’m sorry. Maybe you can try telling that to the guy from the Tiannamen-Square Tank incident.
I know I can’t do much for the thousands dying due to poverty everyday, but I fight my own war of defense in this regard as well. How is it any different for war time? people die during war as they die during peace...
The uprising against the NAZIs in the Warsaw ghetto is CHOSEN to be remembered, while the NAZI crimes are chosen to be pushed to the very back of our minds.
There is a reason for this...I'm sure someday me and that friend of mine will figure it out.
I sincerely hope, however, that we never see eye to eye...