From a common foundation to shared beliefs?
Bachelet, Jean-René
From a common foundation to shared beliefs? - 2009.
61
The culture we refer to herewith is meant in the sense of a frame of mind and beliefs common to a group, the nature of which tends to influence the behavior of its members. Regarding the armed forces, there is clearly a foundation for a common “frame of mind,” inherent in military status due to the specific characteristic of the profession. To partly paraphrase the words of the general military regulations, this common foundation can be defined as a trilogy: a spirit of sacrifice, devotion to the common good, discipline. This aspect is unique to the armed forces with regard to our society’s behavioral standards and it poses a problem. In addition, the fact that these standards all but prohibit any mention of these “beliefs” also constitutes a major difficulty: the military profession, more than any other, requires beliefs based on strong values. Soldiers generally get around this difficulty by invoking the “service of France” but this only conceals deep, often unconscious divides resulting from the trials and tribulations of French history, notably the immense tragedy of the 1940 defeat and the Occupation. In fact, the armed forces must draw inspiration from the humanism that has shaped France’s best aspects throughout the centuries and beyond historical divides. They embrace this heritage which Europe can build upon.
From a common foundation to shared beliefs? - 2009.
61
The culture we refer to herewith is meant in the sense of a frame of mind and beliefs common to a group, the nature of which tends to influence the behavior of its members. Regarding the armed forces, there is clearly a foundation for a common “frame of mind,” inherent in military status due to the specific characteristic of the profession. To partly paraphrase the words of the general military regulations, this common foundation can be defined as a trilogy: a spirit of sacrifice, devotion to the common good, discipline. This aspect is unique to the armed forces with regard to our society’s behavioral standards and it poses a problem. In addition, the fact that these standards all but prohibit any mention of these “beliefs” also constitutes a major difficulty: the military profession, more than any other, requires beliefs based on strong values. Soldiers generally get around this difficulty by invoking the “service of France” but this only conceals deep, often unconscious divides resulting from the trials and tribulations of French history, notably the immense tragedy of the 1940 defeat and the Occupation. In fact, the armed forces must draw inspiration from the humanism that has shaped France’s best aspects throughout the centuries and beyond historical divides. They embrace this heritage which Europe can build upon.
Réseaux sociaux