Lone Survivor- a true story about a team of Navy SEALS in Afghanistan. Recently, I found an article on the Afghan villager who saves Navy SEAL Marcus Lutrell in the movie. The same villager is a real individual who lives in Afghanistan to this day. Recently, he's been trying to gain access to the United States. The reason being his safety and fear for his life. He has been receiving death threats from terrorists, specifically because of his part in saving Marcus Lutrell. He visited the United States in 2013 for the release of the movie in which he is portrayed as the lifesaver of Marcus Lutrell. Currently, the Department of Homeland Security is checking into his files and reasoning whether it would be beneficial to bring him into the United States. According to the Department of Homeland Securities website, people may seek "asylum" in the United States in cases of persecution from foreign groups. Lott (2015) quotes Michael Wildes (the pro-bono attorney taking the case for Mohammad Gulab) as saying, “He is not safe until he’s on U.S. soil." What do you think the Department of Homeland Security should do? What do your morals and ethics tell you about the situation? Mine tell me that he showed humanitarian aid to a US military member, and should be treated in the same manner. Why is this article making national news? Who is this seemingly obsolete villager that is now known worldwide?For today's topic I decided to focus on something related to the movie community, and also the military world. Many people are familiar with the movie
How does this tie in with the study of ethics and morals? In chapter two of the textbook, the relationship is shown between stories and morals lessons. I personally believe that the movie Lone Survivor had a huge role in the publication of Mohammad Gulab, and how he cared for one of our own military members overseas. According to Rosenstand (2013), "Another philosopher, Philip Hallie, states that without feelings of the victims of evildoing, we can't hope to understand what a moral sense is all about." ... "Without sympathy for other people, our principles may go astray. On of the ways in which we can engage both our sympathy and our moral principles is thorough stories.".
I would venture to say that the name Muhammad Gulab would be just another name if it wasn't for the movie which portrayed his courageous actions. His actions are told in a story-like manner on the big screen. Because of it, we sympathize for him and also for his situation. It goes to show that this movie is a paradigm of what it means to connect our sympathy and moral principles; then to see them appear off screen in reality.
References:
Lott, M. (2015). "Afghan villager who saved Navy SEAL in hiding, seeking US asylum". Retrieved from: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/01/19/afghan-villager-who-saved-navy-seal-in-hiding-seeking-us-asylum/
US Citizenship and Immigration Services. (2013, January 22). Retrieved from: http://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/refugees-asylum/asylum
Rosenstand, N. (2013). The Moral of The Story: An Introduction to Ethics. New York, NY. McGraw-Hill Publishing.
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