At the first part of this chapter I will introduce you with the "spirit of IDF" as it is. This is the essence of IDF ethical code and is brought here as an example for military ethical code. It is a specific example, but most military organizations have similar code. The spirit of IDF that is brought here does not imposed on martial arts, but it is to create a common language for the book. At the second part I will refer to some values of the spirit.
The Spirit of the IDF is the identity card of the IDF values, which should stand as the foundation of all of the activities of every IDF soldier, on regular or reserve duty. The Spirit of the IDF and the guidelines of operation resulting from it are the ethical code of the IDF. The Spirit of the IDF will be applied by the IDF, its soldiers, its officers, its units and corps to shape their mode of action. They will behave, educate and evaluate themselves and others according to the Spirit of the IDF.
Every military activity should be bound by IDF's values. The very essence of the officers is decision making. All decisions must refer to the spirit of IDF and bound by it. The officer should always consider his decisions and the situations under by the spirit of IDF's values. In a given situation with a dilemma involved, the officer should consider value vs. value and decide which value more important, since there can be a contradiction between two given values at a given situation.
2.1 Spirit of IDF
2.1.1 Basic Values
Defense of the State, its Citizens and its Residents - The IDF's goal is to defend the existence of the State of Israel, its independence and the security of the citizens and residents of the state.
Love of the Homeland and Loyalty to the Country - At the core of service in the IDF stand the love of the homeland and the commitment and devotion to the State of Israel-a democratic state that serves as a national home for the Jewish People-its citizens and residents.
Human Dignity - The IDF and its soldiers are obligated to protect human dignity. Every human being is of value regardless of his or her origin, religion, nationality, gender, status or position.
2.1.2 The Values
Tenacity of Purpose in Performing Missions and Drive to Victory - The IDF servicemen and women will fight and conduct themselves with courage in the face of all dangers and obstacles; They will persevere in their missions resolutely and thoughtfully even to the point of endangering their lives.
Responsibility - The IDF serviceman or woman will see themselves as active participants in the defense of the state, its citizens and residents. They will carry out their duties at all times with initiative, involvement and diligence with common sense and within the framework of their authority, while prepared to bear responsibility for their conduct.
Credibility - The IDF servicemen and women shall present things objectively, completely and precisely, in planning, performing and reporting. They will act in such a manner that their peers and commanders can rely upon them in performing their tasks.
Personal Example - The IDF servicemen and women will comport themselves as required of them, and will demand of themselves as they demand of others, out of recognition of their ability and responsibility within the military and without to serve as a deserving role model.
Human Life - The IDF servicemen and women will act in a judicious and safe manner in all they do, out of recognition of the supreme value of human life. During combat they will endanger themselves and their comrades only to the extent required to carry out their mission.
Purity of Arms - The IDF servicemen and women will use their weapons and force only for the purpose of their mission, only to the necessary extent and will maintain their humanity even during combat. IDF soldiers will not use their weapons and force to harm human beings who are not combatants or prisoners of war, and will do all in their power to avoid causing harm to their lives, bodies, dignity and property.
Professionalism - The IDF servicemen and women will acquire the professional knowledge and skills required to perform their tasks, and will implement them while striving continuously to perfect their personal and collective achievements.
Discipline - The IDF servicemen and women will strive to the best of their ability to fully and successfully complete all that is required of them according to orders and their spirit. IDF soldiers will be meticulous in giving only lawful orders, and shall refrain from obeying blatantly illegal orders.
Comradeship - The IDF servicemen and women will act out of fraternity and devotion to their comrades, and will always go to their assistance when they need their help or depend on them, despite any danger or difficulty, even to the point of risking their lives.
Sense of Mission - The IDF soldiers view their service in the IDF as a mission; they will be ready to give their all in order to defend the state, its citizens and residents. This is due to the fact that they are representatives of the IDF who act on the basis and in the framework of the authority given to them in accordance with IDF orders.
2.2 Referring to the Spirit of IDF
2.2.1 Comradeship
In short it means "band of brothers" or "brothers in arms". It is very hard to understand the brotherhood that there is between those who have fought together, shoulder to shoulder, rode the tank, or fired the artillery. The strong bound that exist between us is unbreakable and unspoken of.
In my point of view, every man and woman, serve in same military organization with me, are my brothers and sisters in arms. We all possess the mutual obligation to each other and a mutual obligation to help. Although this is a utopian point of view, in a real situation of combat or danger, the real picture of the brotherhood is drown, a picture in which soldiers do die in order to save their comrades, even from different units. This brotherhood demands a huge amount of nurturing by the commanders and staff during quite times.
The value in martial arts
Among veteran practitioners, not even those who have trained together or even the same martial art, there is a bound of understanding. Although there is ego involved, competition, different styles, etc. there is also a brotherhood between the martial arts practitioners. This brotherhood is very noticeable when you are into a new place. You hear about a dojo, go there out of pure curiosity and a familiarity sense. Usually you will be welcome with a smile.
On the other hand, this is romanticized bull-shit. What happens in reality are ego wars. The social networks are full with shaming and disrespect, usually by MMA and other mainstream practitioners towards the soft arts or fringes arts. Sad and disrespecting the field of martial arts.
2.2.2 Responsibility
Cause and effect, action and reaction, factor and influence, the phenomena is called causality and just like in physics, causality is valid in every aspect in life. The understanding of the fact that causality is applied in every aspect in life is the very basis for the value of responsibility, militarily and generally speaking.
The understanding is constructed out of many layers. A responsible person will understand the influence of his deeds and the influence of lack of action upon his surrounding in any scale possible (the immediate, the national and the global) and will always try to make better him\her-self and his\her environment.
Usually, a responsible person will aspire for justice, pure and total justice, justice that seeks the guilty and punishing them in a suitable way. The punishment is not an act of revenge, but a practical punishment, deterrent one.
A responsible person will always be ready to withstand the consequences of his\her actions, or at least understand the consequences of his\her actions.
The value in martial arts
In martial arts, we aspire to teach the students the meaning of the value of responsibility. After all, this is a domain full of great damage potential, thus the practitioners should have a complete control of their actions. All damage imposed by the martial arts practitioner should be intended and controlled, rather the intention was to injure, to neutralize, to paralyze or to kill. The danger of martial arts, requires a lot of training in order to get full control of the action, the power, the speed, the range, the intention and the damage caused. The study of fighting is contributing to the developing of analytical thinking, since the drills and technics should be broken into stages. This analytical thinking is getting into all aspects of life and benefit with the practitioners and their surroundings.
2.2.3 Human Life
Human life value, in the spirit of IDF has two aspects. The first aspect is about human life on IDF's side, and the second aspect is about human life on the enemy's side. The value is simple for understanding, we must prevent unnecessary human toll.
In my humble opinion, there is an exaggeration with this value towards the enemy, especially by the media and the left-wingers that are detached from reality. War is WAR, it is a business with casualties. There is no such a thing a sterile war, a civilian who does not flee a warzone, might get hurt. True, it is important to try and prevent unnecessary damage, but it is also important not to prosecute for every hit. Mostly, the unnecessary hits caused not due to a will to harm, but due to the reality and circumstances.
The value in martial arts
Martial arts have a potential for lethal actions. We gain dangerous skills and we should know what we are capable of. Rather we choose to kill (or not to kill) the enemy, it should be a decision taken consciously in our mind and not an accident.
In my humble opinion, a human's life has no value if that person does not respect other human's life. In my point of view, the blood of murderers, rapists, drunk drivers (they chose to drink while being sober, knowingly they should drive later on), and crime families is allowed. True, it is somehow a fascist point of view, but it is also a practical one. Prisons are rehabilitation facilities, not punishment facilities, in theory. There is no logic in punishing someone by five years inside, if he will get out and back to crime and harming innocent victims. Those factors, I believe, should be cleaned from society.
2.2.4 Purity of Arms
This value is derived from the human life value. Arms are not pure, not innocent, not evil nor murderous. Those are human characters. This value is about imposing violence only toward those who have earned it by being hostile and violent. It is allowed to use violence only in favor of mission accomplishment and protecting those who cannot protect themselves.
In my point of view, the most dangerous weapon is not the knife, the gun, the artillery, etc. but the human behind them. An unarmed human filled with bad intentions is dangerous and murderous as if he\she was holding a knife. The knife in the heart can operate weapons such as a pen and cause much damage without even a slightest physical damage. Hitler with no gun is still Hitler and Ahmadinejad (president of Iran 2010) who preaches for hatred and annihilation of Israel is dangerous without a knife. It is a must to be careful with words as it is with weapons. In my humble opinion, violence should be allowed against an unarmed hostile factor, because tomorrow he will be armed and he will not be alone.
The value in martial arts
The value has a direct interpretation in martial arts. We fight fighters and will not harm the non-fighters. Most of the martial artists are seek to make no evil, but protect and help others to protect themselves. The average bully does not know to fight the way martial artists know. This is one of the differences between martial artist and just a trained bully. It does not mean that there are no excellent bully fighters, there are and they are extremely dangerous, but mostly their way is not the way of a martial artist who seeks for positive improvement.
Another aspect, it is important to remember that in martial arts the dangerous factor is not the knife but the human behind it. Sometimes, people tend to concentrate on the weapon, thus missing the opportunity no neutralize the person who is holding it.
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