It may seem wholly natural to kill, but long-standing evidence implies otherwise. While aggression is usual to the human species, so are altruistic impulses born of self-awareness and identification with The Other. This is why armies from ancient Roman legionnaires to modern-day infantrymen must continuously drill their recruits and continue to condition even many of their combat vets in murderous behaviors.
For example, as far back as Roman times it was noted that men had a natural aversion to stabbing, preferring to slash with their swords instead. Stabbing, intentionally and intensely thrusting a blade into an opponent, was generally evaded by most amateurs to war because, we may surmise, folk simply have an almost instinctual need not to inflict fatal injuries at least not at such close ranges.
After World War II, to cite another instance, studies conducted by the United States military found that less than half of all squadrons actually fired their weapons, even when fired upon themselves. This is the reason why the primary mission of basic training in the military any military, since time immemorial has been conditioning the psychology of recruits to kill on command.
Indeed, such conditioning masks the killing act, the killing behavior, not as killing but as the obeying of a command; psychologically, one no longer kills as such but only replies to orders by pulling a trigger or pushing a button.
And the more of an interface there is between assailant and victim the easier it is to kill. This makes sense, naturally it’s much tougher to kill someone face to face than to kill him remotely via a videolink. It’s also much more dire for the murderer. And so it is that armies concentrate their efforts on securing obedience, for military operations involve teamwork and it is the one feeble link that will break the chain.
Learn more about conditioning. Stop by www.articlebookmark.com site where you can find out all about United States military and what it can do for you.