Barak
I do not intend to get into a match of definitions. This is simply my belief and each of us is allowed their own.
A professional soldier should be able to know that there is a end of a conflict upon which he will be able to stand down and feel a sense of accomplishment.
This is necessary for the sense of worth in any endeavor.
As you stated, you are a professional computer programer. Let us suppose that you are to write a program that will provide the final definition of pi. I was taught that there was no end figure and it must be used for a practical usage of the purpose needed. This is normally for practical usage no more than 4 or 5 places.
(1) You have a choice. Quit or do the assigned task.
(2) If it is impossible, then you would not get paid until the task was completed (no pay) or quit. In either case you failed.
(3) In the event you tried until you failed, your ability to continue on other tasks would be impared to some extent by this sense of failure.
(4) A series of these impossible tasks would destroy the ability to perform well at any similar task. Programing.
In reality there are few professional soldiers compared to those numbers in the field. Most of them are there because of some circumstance requireing some change or temporary hold in their lives.
It may be possible for me to write some programs. I could never be a professional compared to yourself. What little I know of these things seems to require an abstract thought. The hardest definition I had in my math and physics degree was infinity. I always thought in finites and somthing endless defied my imagination.
Whatever our challenges, we can quit. A soldier cannot. I pray that our freedoms are not dependent upon the actions of those that could even consider cheating our troops of a victory. If so, we won't have them long.
I prefer to think that those of your thought are only trying to kill time in trying to agitate others for some mental gymnastic exercise. Otherwise I could only pity them.
Sorry if I stepped on any toes, but there was once a radio program entitled
"This I Believe". And This I believe.
I will say no more on this subject, now or later.
