I had a Soldier, today, re-enlist into the Army; a Specialist, so a younger guy within the rank structure. Of course, this is just as we're getting ready to leave Iraq following a year-long deployment. He's married, has a new-born, and is studying architecture. So, right when you'd think this kid would have enough on his platter already, he's charging hard into the sunset, only this time he's already prepping to 'live to fight another day.' -And this is why I love Soldiers. They are "purpose-oriented." I've always found that, although there are a handful of shitbags that shouldn't be in the service, these guys are overall better than most humans.
I worked under a brilliant Lieutenant Colonel for the first half of the deployment who argued that "right around the point where people hit their mid-life crisis, most men will have wished that they'd served; that they'd belonged to the fraternity of Soldiers, because, when you're older and life begins to slow down, these are the guys with the best stories to tell while sitting around the table late at night." These are the guys who lived with purpose.
There was once such a thing as the "Warrior Class," known most famously in Feudal Japan: "Samurai," which means "to serve," although it's been echoed throughout history in other then-nations (Spartans, most American-Indian cultures, etc.). I still believe in this, and amidst the war-times in which we live, I'm proud to submit that most Americans probably do too.
The world needs more of these people; "warriors." Forget politics. Forget drama and pop-culture. All of these things are immaterial when compared to Truth. What are you willing to die for? When you find it, you'll have found Purpose.
I worked under a brilliant Lieutenant Colonel for the first half of the deployment who argued that "right around the point where people hit their mid-life crisis, most men will have wished that they'd served; that they'd belonged to the fraternity of Soldiers, because, when you're older and life begins to slow down, these are the guys with the best stories to tell while sitting around the table late at night." These are the guys who lived with purpose.
There was once such a thing as the "Warrior Class," known most famously in Feudal Japan: "Samurai," which means "to serve," although it's been echoed throughout history in other then-nations (Spartans, most American-Indian cultures, etc.). I still believe in this, and amidst the war-times in which we live, I'm proud to submit that most Americans probably do too.
The world needs more of these people; "warriors." Forget politics. Forget drama and pop-culture. All of these things are immaterial when compared to Truth. What are you willing to die for? When you find it, you'll have found Purpose.