The Wars by Timothy Findley Essay -- Justifying Wars Timothy Findley E

The Wars by Timothy Findley Justification. Defined as the act of justifying something. To serve as an acceptable reason or excuse for our actions, based on actual or believed information. Throughout the history of not only the modern world, but certainly back to the â€Å"barest essentials of reason† our species have made decisions that have effectively shaped our world into what it is today. Or have not. The judgments made in the past may also have been relatively insignificant to a larger picture, but would still be important in one persons or a group of people’s day-to-day life. Either way, choices made in any way, shape, or form, are based on what the decision maker believes to be true or morally right. Timothy Findley displays the abovementioned opinion-based judgments in the novel The Wars. From the background behind the novel, to the ending scene of the main character being burned to the ground in a flaming barn, many choices are made. Whether large and important or small and insignificant, Mr. Findley asks us as readers and as humans to look into ourselves to uncover the reasoning behind the choices, as well as our own actions and the actions of our leaders. The justification for most of the aforementioned incidents in The Wars can be classified under 3 broad-based ideas: safety, self-interest or the moral/general good. The first of these main ideas brought up in the novel is safety. The time setting of the story starts in 1915, almost a year after the First World War has begun. At the beginning of this war, the first major decision based on the idea of public safety was made: going to war in the first place. Assassination at Sarajevo sparks what would be a catastrophic loss for nations all across the world. This decision that directly affects the main character, Robert Ross, is Britain declaring war on August 5, 1914. This automatically makes Robert’s home country, Canada, at war as well, as they were part of the British Empire. In the past century, public safety has been the main justification for most types of war. But is going to war really safe? The conceived viewpoint of the author, often referring to the battlefield as lifeless and, in essence, counterproductive, says no. 9,000,000 casualties in four years across the world says no. Many attempts at peace by the UN and peacekeeping coun tries such as Canada say no. Yet, world leaders still pos... ...n for his condition after the fire, Robert would have been in prison for his actions. Instead, his almost lifeless body was guarded all day, even though it was stated by doctors that he would never be able to function or be capable or reason again. Or treason again. Second Lieutenant Robert Ross was a tyrant or pioneer. â€Å"Bastard† or â€Å"hero†. This is for us to decide for ourselves. Throughout The Wars, the main character is involved in many decisions, most of which fit under three main ideas or categories of justification: moral/general good, self-interest, and safety. Timothy Findley indirectly asks the readers of his novel to take these ideas into our own lives, and apply them to the decisions we make as a person or as a society. These decisions may be as simple as what type of bread we buy in the morning to more significant, such as who we vote for on Election Day. For any action we take there is always some type of justification or reason for doing what we are doing. It occurs today as it has occurred in centuries before. And surely, as we look into the future, the decisions will remain, only the justifications will differ, based on information we believe or know to be true.