Worth dying for?

I hear a lot of people talking about fighting for the things that are worth dying for. There is a sense of great nobility about that phrase. It sincerely touches me deeply to think about this, particularly after engaging the Harry Potter series. All through the series it is emphasized that there are . . . things worth dying for. But there's always been something about that phrase that nags at me. I realized while washing spinach and doing dishes today that it's because the phrase is usually used to justify war. (On a related note, I'm not sure insight is a good motivator to wash spinach or dishes.)

A better question concerning war is, "Is it worth killing for?" I'm anti-death as a general rule, whether for friend or foe. There are a few things I think I would die for, but almost nothing I would kill for. That may make me sound like a sissy, but again, I'm probably pro-life to a fault. Okay, I guess the problem with making that the diagnostic question is I'm presuming others have a similar anti-killing ethic. But at least it's a chastening question.