Hi Jonas,

There is probably no one answer. Within each particular ethical framework there is probably a coherent answer. So we could consider the question from that point of view. What is the ethical framework that works for you and within that framework what is the right answer.

My preference is Virtue Ethics which is basically making decisions in line with what a "virtuous person" in your circumstance would do. I find it is practical by encouraging to develop a character that tends toward ethical behavior. At the same time it accepts that we are imperfect, there are compromises and disengaging from the world is not the best approach.

A virtuous character is defined within a particular context. So for example you might consider Sweeden, or buddhist monks in Sweeden etc. I'd argue for choosing the largest context that you reasonably can. This is an advantage of time lived outside of one's native culture.

A reasonable approach might be imagining the reaction of people you respect to your decision (if you explained your reasoning). I would suspect most people in Sweeden would want you to contribute to the country financially. A virtuous person is not going to feel comfortable taking advantages of an education system, health care system etc that they are not contributing toward. I'd also suspect that most people in Sweeden would consider it a postitive thing if you decided not to work in the weapons industry. 

Clearly financing weapons sales is an issue for you. So what would someone of good character in your situation do ? If I had to guess I would assume they would do something but they may not invest enormous time/effort/money in those actions. Of course if you have the energy then you might take on big actions. 

A quick search came across http://www.wilpfinternational.org/feminist-victory-stops-swedish-military-deal-with-saudi-arabia/ which shows support for your concerns. Perhaps supporting them is a tradeoff for not having 2.5% of your taxes spent in the way you wish.

Motivating to see ethical issues taking priority over meditation !




 

Being a fellow swede I can inform you that Sweden does not sell weapons to anyone really. The manufacturing etc is done by private companies which is also the ones that sell the weapon. What the goverment does is deciding if the seller can sell to a certain party or not. What Sweden as a state mostly do is sell knowledge and broker deals for the manufacturors since these things really takes place high up in the food chain. The Saudideal that I suppose is what lead to this queastion originated with a sale of radarsystem, but inorder for this massive purchase to come through the Saudis demanded that Sweden helps construct a weaponsfactory. This was all very shady and do through backchannels and shellcorporations.
Overall Sweden aint that bad and you are hardpressed to find any country that is much better. 

Tax by its very nature goes to fund things you dont want to get funded. One just has to suck it up or try to change it. Personally I try to change things. Skipping out on ones taxes I personally find highly immoral.

Äsch Sverige är ett av de bättre länderna i världen, och jag tror Andreas har rätt angående exporten.

Möjligen OT: i vilken tradition eller rörelse i Sverige hade du tänkt bli munk? Behöver retreattips

(Det är väl ingen engelska-policy här?)

Man kan ju också resonera så här.
Förmodligen är det mycket mer skatt som kommer in till staten från vapenindustrin än vad som går till exportstöd.
Om man helt eller delvis försörjs av staten så får man pengar som delvis kommer från vapenindustrin.
Vilket alltså skulle kunna göra det ännu mer omoraliskt att (frivilligt) inte jobba och betala skatt...

the state is  an instrument of violence and you are an animal on their tax farm.  the us is a particularly violent global terror machine and they force you to support their violence by threatening to put you in a cage if you don't participate.

if you want to avoid the violence you have to either aquiesce to a life of poverty or participate under protest and work with legal means to destroy the aspects of state violence you disagree with.

it is not a question of either meditating or participating in the murder.  meditation, whether insight or shamatha is not the same as moral conduct (sila) and can be practiced in paralell to your moral training.

skol

Following up on Pejn's comment in Swedish about being the beneficiary of the society in which one lives (like the tax base provided by national industries, including munitions/weapons companies): 

Thich Nhat Hanh, Lotus in a Sea of Fire (1967):
“The practice of Thien [Zen, Vietnamese] is by no means easy. It requires a profound and powerful inner life, long and persistent training, and a strong firm will. The attitude of Thien toward the search for truth and its view of the problem of living in this world are extremely liberal. Thien does not recognize any dogma or belief that would hold back man’s progress in acquiring knowledge or in his daily life. Thien differs from Orthodox religions in that it is not conditioned by any set of beliefs. In other words, Thien is an attitude or methodology for arriving at knowledge and action. For Thien the techniques of right eating and drinking, of right breathing and right concentration and meditation, are far more vital than mere beliefs. A person who practices Zen meditation does not have to rely on beliefs of hell, Nirvana, rebirth or causality; he has only to rely on the reality of his body, his psychology, biology, and his own past experiences of the instruction of Zen masters who have preceded him. His aim is to attain, to penetrate, to see. Once he has attained satori (insight) his action will conform by itself to reality.”

So no exit as a recluse or a monastic, though that positioning can help a person who needs this help of or simply knows distance from the world at large, so to speak.

So one can train as suits best learning moments now.

_______________________
Edit: Hanh citation from Tri Hoang's teacher training group: https://dharmateacherorderct.wordpress.com/guiding-teacherlineage/
and bold emphasis added.

Actively choosing not to contribute to supporting people with illness or disability, the education and welfare of children, etc., is also doing harm. That being said, I think it is important to say no to weapons export. It is highly immoral to benefit from people killing each other. The fact that the victims of war are not allowed refuge in this country adds to the misery.

The Buddha probably relied on the law and the military for protection of his lifestyle too. Probably never worked a day in his life either, but if he put his hands to the plough would it ruin his enlightenment ?