This question was inspired by a post on lemmy.zip about lowering the minimum age to purchase firearms in the US, and a lot of commeters brought up military service and training as a benchmark to normal civilians, and how if guns would be prevalent, then firearm training should be more common.
For reference, I live in the USA, where the minimum age to join the military is 18, but joining is, for the most part, optional. I also know some friends that have gone through the military, mostly for college benefits, and it has really messed them up. However, I have also met some friends from south korea, where I understand military service is mandatory before starting a more normal career. From what I’ve heard, military service was treated more as a trade school, because they were never deployed, in comparison to American troops.
I just wanted to know what the broader Lemmy community thought about mandatory military service is, especially from viewpoints outside the US.
I feel like most kids get this in high school, 3/4 of mine did anyway. Most people I know spent at least some time working in retail and/or restaurant.
And yes I agree that a lack of empathy and excess of greed is THE problem facing us.
What bothers me more is hospitality work is satisfying as fuck - I love making people comfortable and happy, that commitment to excellence - it’s just so hard to make a good living at it.