Negotiating

There has been quite allot of talk about the negotiations that led to soldier Bergdahl coming home. The most talk that I've seen is mostly negative, mainly saying "negotiation with terrorist is against policy" and shouldn't be considered for the well being of America. But this is where my thoughts lie:

1. What if it was my brother? My father? My uncle?

2. What does the well being of America really mean?

I can honestly say that if soldier Bergdahl were my brother, father, uncle etc. I would be absolutely, no question about it, set on their homecoming. I think most people would be, but maybe I am wrong. Maybe people wouldn't care. I highly doubt this though, people are often more effected when they have relationships. It is sad to think that knowing someone in a slightly more personal way can change a person's perception. But it does and so I can't help but want soldier Bergdahl to come home for his family, despite any negotiations with terrorists.

If one looks at the definition of terrorist as a person who terrorizes or frightens others then negotiations with terrorists is more common than one would think. I am not advocating for terrorism when I say this. I think terrorism is awful and if someone wants to prove a point then there are other ways to do that besides resigning to terrorizing others until the person gets what the person wants.

Negotiating with terrorist should not be considered a bad thing. Negotiation should never be considered bad because it results in an understanding in some way. Understanding is a step closer to peace. And suggesting that negotiation with terrorist is against policy could be interpreted as there will be no attempt to understanding, which in turn means there will be no attempt at peace. Peace should be a priority to protect the American people. Peace doesn't always mean "giving in" but it does mean trying to keep stable ground between two very different ideas. Stability is important for a nation, isn't it? So why is negotiating such a bad thing?

When I look at the reactions that people have about negotiating with terrorists I immediately think why? Yes. Terrorism is bad. Yes. America does not condone terrorism. Yes. America does not want to seem weak, especially in the eyes of our enemies. However, people fail to take into consideration that negotiating is a way to understanding--which is a step closer than we were. It doesn't mean that America condones terrorism, because we don't and that won't change. It doesn't show any weakness that terrorist wouldn't have seen before. Every country's weakness is it's people, citizens are what makes a country and if citizens are weak then a nation is weak, it is common knowledge, known for years as we witnessed in a series of terrorist attacks on September 11th .

It is hard to believe that five terrorist could make such an impact on an already present organization. Though it is possible the organizations could take into consideration whatever these five men have for ideas or it is even possible that the five men could offer their lives to the terrorist organizations. It is possible that five men could make a difference, but not as likely as people fear. The five prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay likely did not have updates and would have little information not to mention their stability may not be reliable enough for their organizations to find useful.

In my opinion, bringing home a soldier should be America's priority. They have fought well and hard and should get the chance to come home and remember why they are fighting. America should be supportive for the POWs that are returning, no matter the circumstances, because no one could know exactly what hell they went through. Enduring five, sometimes more, years of wondering if each breath you take will be your last is torture enough and then coming home without the full support of the citizens you fought for must be painful. And I think soldier Bergdahl has been through enough pain.

My opinions may vary from yours and that's okay, diversity is a good thing and I would love to hear different opinions, as long as they are respectful. So please, be respectful for soldier Bergdahl and his family and friends, and also be respectful of the people that made the difficult decisions to negotiate soldier Bergdahl's way home. Thank you.