As an outsider and non-American, I do think it's inspiring to read what you just wrote Sam! I do think a lot of things that are happening not only in America, but worldwide, are very questionable and frankly shocking at times, but to still see that the idea and the spirit behind the American dream is so alive in certain individuals, AND also expresses itself in so many unique ways, many of them absolutely beautiful and poetic! I hope too that the third way you proposed, or maybe even another amalgamation of other ideas finds its way through, we're all truly made for more than doomscrolling, dark crimes and meaninglessness.
Well said, Kai. The world as a whole as you point is riddled with issues at the moment, made all the worse because of how globalized and interconnected every facet of life is. It will probably come back down to the individual basis—individuals, individual families, just as it always has. The fight is just beginning.
Now seriously: "...that America is still exceptional and worth fighting for precisely because it gives us the option of defining our own mortal necessity in life, and stoking our own profound love of life."
Sam, this is why I think there should be mandatory service in America. Whether it's military service, law enforcement, or working as an EMT or firefighter for a period of time, I believe it would help instill a stronger sense of duty, patriotism, and resilience. Service can be a great equalizer, as well. It brings people from different social and economic backgrounds together, putting them through the same challenges and hardships.
Thanks Uri. It is a tough call. I see the merits to mandatory service, but the word "mandatory" is the problem. If enough people decide they do not want to serve this country and its people, then it is time for the country to implode and be replaced by a better one. I think it is that simple. The "voluntary" part is crucial, it is everything, it is the ultimate litmus test. This could be me being overly romantic and hopeful, but history is full of enough example of failed states who made service mandatory. I hope America does not become one of them.
I’m sympathetic to your point about voluntary Sam, but many Freddie’s in WWII were drafted or enlisted to ensure they could pick their branch. Ideally we would have a nation of volunteers but we don’t. We have the many, protected by the very few. … and many of the few are sons and daughters of an earlier generation of “the few.“ Most parents I know, including my girlfriend recoil at the idea of their little darlings being in the military. We both know that the military would do them good. In fact, they would gain more than our country would gain from having them serve. Ultimately though our country would gain by having a citizenry with a background of service and dare I say, sacrifice and god forbid, discipline.
I hear you. Again, there are merits. Maybe it is the rebellious portion of me, what I would call the American portion, that would be inclined to disagree with whatever force acts on me with a "must". Those who need the "must" strike me as the people who are the most dangerous, because they can molded in any direction: pro, or anti, American, depending on who is molding them. Much to think on.
I hear you, and I see your point. It's a valid one, especially if you've lived in countries with military governments. That said, this is America, and to build on what Marshall said, I think both the country and its citizens would benefit from some form of service. Maybe not mandatory, I understand how that word can trigger strong reactions, but something that's highly encouraged or incentivized instead.
In America, you can choose to live the way you wish, in contrast with other societies less founded on free choices. As a society we are choosing victimhood and victimizing, we are choosing telling others what to do rather than posing to ourselves that question of 'how do I live today'? With what virtues? We are choosing self indulgence and ease.
The antidote is the reverse path that you write about in 'What Then?'. To defend the inner citadel of reasoned choice, to do hard things together and alone without whining. To make mistakes in our pursuits and grow. To take our eyes off our navels and fight good fights, while laughing and living and learning.
Hats off to you Sam. Happy 250th. Regards to your inner Freddie.
What most brings us alive and brings us together is a shared mission and a common enemy. It has been a very long time (WWII, and very briefly after 9/11) since we in the US have had either. The rot is increasingly obvious. I strongly agree that the espoused IDEA(L) of America is worth fighting for. We need an external threat to end our internal wars against each other (that aggressive energy needs to go somewhere!). I thought climate heating might be that common enemy, but it’s literally too much slow boiling frog paradigm to wake us up. Probably not China. They know how to win without fighting (very subtle). We shall see.
Thanks for writing in a way that provokes both thinking and passion, Sam!
There is a lot here Baird. Agreed on the "IDEA(L)". Just about everything we have seen in the last decades is a mockery of what this country was founded to be, and its decline is increasing daily. Individuals... it all comes back to individuals who articulate the IDEA(L). Otherwise we go the way of every nation that has come before us.
Sam, if we think on the early days of this great experiment, this great idea called America the issue was in doubt many times. Roughly 1/3 wished to remain loyal to England and the King and they had skin in the game, a lot of it. 1/3 wanted out, ready and willing to potentially die to be free and set their course. 1/3 didn’t give a damn, “whatever”! The stalwarts wrote the Declaration of Independence fought a war and wrote a constitution and then the Federalist papers to explain it all. (They are worth reading) So it came to pass, we won our freedom, but it has cost us as nation dearly several times. The saddest being the war between the States. It haunts us still today. There will be a USA in 250 years if we keep the rule of 1/3rds alive. Let 1/3rd be miserable and babble about no kings or be a part of the political or armed world of ANTIFA. (Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dorn are in orgasmic ecstasy every day they now have a political party and an army this time)1/3rd are obese, lumping along and hoping for better things to come, they are unaware that they are counting on the last 1/3rd to save their bacon. That last 1/3rd are those that just refuse to quit. They see this nation, this great experiment as worth saving and readily leave home to save it. When that 1/3rd and the blind, lame and lazy of the second 1/3rd wake with them, then this current rabble running things will have some real problems. In the meantime we of warrior 1/3rd stay fit, are trying to stay left of bang, live life to the fullest as we know how short and precious life is, you have heard me say it before but “for us there is only the trying the rest is not our business.” (TS Eliot) We need to lead from wherever we can best direct the action of our troops, usually that is from the front but not always. But lead we ought do. If you called tomorrow and said meet me at X we are going swimming, I would be there and 10 minutes early. My guess is it wouldn’t be good, but no doubt very intersting once we got there…hate the thought of being a sugar cookie…but whatever it takes..that said it would be better if the Commandant of the USMC said get to Camp LeJeune and await orders, wouldn’t want to slow you and the other grandson’s of the Freddie’s down.
"If you called tomorrow and said meet me at X we are going swimming, I would be there and 10 minutes early." Charles, there are countless 20-30 year olds I have said this to who never showed up because it was early or too cold. For this alone, you are awesome and still in the fight.
Sam, first lesson learned in competitive rowing is that it starts early..so when the alarm goes off 0430 the magic begins and it is simple, get one foot on the floor, gravity takes over, the legs swing out of the rack, and off to the boathouse you go. So it goes, OCS, TBS, IOC, your first rifle platoon and subsequent commands and responsibilities. In the end, as you Frogmen know better than most you’re doing hard things for each other, if you are in a “team” rowing shell, the other oarsmen are counting on you. If you are rowing your single, you know every other guy in a single out that has your dreams and aspirations is rowing…and rowing hard. Tired, cold, wet, hot, pain, these are all just another feeling!!
It is striking how much better of a life this is than drifting in ease, waiting for something magical to happen. I wish this could be "seen" on a national level so that those missing out knew what it looked it.
Boy have the many missed out. I have thought a lot about how to reach them, how do we encourage them to take life on in full measure. I guess in the final analysis we just live our lives, and push the notion of stoicism, lead by example. Do that funny thing called “showing up.” Showing up and saying that we won’’t let life pass us by. I try every day to lead by example. In my “grooming standards” in my dress, (yes I still check my gig line all the time..) At the boathouse and dock and on the water. The routine, the attention to detail, the consistency in the effort. I figured the junior oarsmen and woman see it, and maybe they will catch on. Which some are indeed doing. They are by the way the athletes on the medals podium at the youth nationals. Hmmm go figure! So we carry on. Gallows humor is a key component!
Thomas Jefferson was 33 when he wrote the Declaration of Independence…don’t wait too long in life!
Am a pathological optimist. The other choices are dark and stark…no thanks…as Sam and i have discussed here, when death smiles at you, all you can do is smile back.
At 80 with most of my life behind me, I often find myself wondering if we need another nationwide catastrophic event such as the great depression to pull us out of this doom scrolling tik Tok world in which we find ourselves. Perhaps then people could actually look up from their devices and rediscover we're more alike than different. And lots of Freddies could emerge. Thanks for another great article
Rock and roll, Tom. I've had similar apocalyptic visions, but still hold onto the hope we can create the better future if enough individuals are capable of articulating the value of freedom. There will also be the extremes—the fight is to keep them at the extremes and from ruining the center. It is a good fight.
This quote by Hopf keeps coming back “Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times." Sam, you make it clear that it doesn’t apply to INDIVIDUALS. Seals have a way to find these individuals and America has to find more individuals to invalidate this current trend. The first years of our country were Freddies and we need them for another 250!
There was no better way to prepare Americans for WWII than the Great Depression. For ten years, every single person lived by their wits, using their ingenuity, creativity, and grit everyday just to survive.
It has been proven over and over again, at every level of individuality, nothing is more destructive to an identity than success.
Brilliant as always. We can do hard things... we MUST do hard things. There is no other way. Our life of luxury is a poison, and we feel it in our bones. We complain about affordability amongst our own opulence without understanding actual need. We must strive because what we are doing doing, just ain't cutting it.
To your preface, which addresses your critiquing of America today, I see it not as a bitch fest or venting session, nor do I see it as pissing in America’s Wheaties, but rather an honest, hard hitting deep dive into the situations which birthed the values you see as essential to America’s exceptionalism. I see you dissecting the ancient ways people survived, and thrived, and I see you wrestling with how to rekindle reliance on these techniques and strategies in this modern world of technology and ease. If we are to breathe life back into this great nation we need to first recognize meaningfulness in the necessity of struggle; stand up straight, take a deep breath, look to our left & right at teammates, grin and say “LFG.”
Totally agree. It is only through suffering that the pursuit of happiness becomes happiness. The country surviving is a perception problem. I’ve spent the past five days circulating through two small towns in the mountains of North Carolina. I had significant conversations with 15 people. These communities and many like them where I live are thriving economically and dynamically at a relational level. They are filled with people fleeing the cities. My assessment is that America will survive another 250 years because the order of nature is shifting the scale of living away from large, centralized cities, to smaller local communities where individuals can participate and contribute to the welfare of the place they live. When we suffer together to care for our neighbors, we become more civilized. In other words, we survive where we are free to be accountable for the life of our community. The issue of scale of cities has been known and ignored since the 19th century. Henry George and Leopold Kohr are voices who should be part of this discussion..
This is an epic thought. I can see it as well, as I am one of those who will be making a similar move soon. Thanks for this, Ed, as well as for the optimism.
The frogman did not have to find his purpose. The war handed it to him, and America was the reason. He met it in the surf zone or he died there. The man today gets no war and no handed purpose, so he decides he has none. He is wrong. It is still there. He has to go and find it and meet it himself. America did not stop being the reason. The man just forgot.
This is it entirely. There are no victims here, only self-made victims. That is the painful gift of America. And of life as a whole, ironically enough.
I remember the problems with troops in Vietnam, when they were being drafted, and thinking we could fix everything with voluntary service.
Now, half a century later, I see the problems with a volunteer military; it’s incredibly efficient but government is much more likely to start ground wars because no parents are melting their congressman’s phone, and the public can afford indifference because nobody knows a soldier these days.
I guess there’s no free lunch, or perfect solution.
No free lunch indeed. This is one of those perennial problems we are always going to deal with. It is striking though the difference in attitudes about the draft between WWII and Vietnam. In the former, there were men committing suicide if they could not go to war. In the latter, men were willing to go to prison rather than war. This has always led me to not want a draft or anything mandatory. If the country has to force its citizens to fight, either the war probably should not be fought in the first place or the country needs to go through a re-awakening to learn what it is. Much to think on.
I've been pondering the idea of Minimal Necessary Suffering - the cringe, the ass kicking, the falling short, the shame, the loss, the exhaustion, the insecurity.
Because on the other side is self-awareness, self-improvement, comradeship, admiration to peers who outperform.
The Great Inversion is we have to re-choose the minimal necessary suffering because we've "solved" our way to experiencing less than the minimum. But it needs a purpose.
I think The Way is we choose goals so lofty that we have to suffer to achieve them.
Is there any real way to unite this country again? I don't see it possible and I'm far from a pessimist. The extremes of society are continue to sprint away from one another and the folks in the middle are trying not to drown. These "tools" that are created to revolutionize our lives are sold or force fed to us as a means of progress, while harvesting our data, time, cognition, capability and even our personal agency (and much more). The ones that are pilfering and raping this country don't want its citizens united. That type of unity would put an end to their depraved run.
Our money isn't worth what used to be thanks to a long line of policies created by politicians that had "our" best interest in mind. Our children are born in debt to the economy. Our children are born slaves to a machine perverted by greed that needs their bodies and time for its nourishment. Positions of public service are now a means of enriching yourself and friends.
So many are wrapped up in their echo chamber of whoever their political ideology tells them to hate and "other", they somehow forget how ruthlessly they are being fucked, with no lube.
All I want is to work my ass off and earn my cabin in the woods and to be left alone by the insanity that constantly knocks at my door. I want to earn the right to have time that doesn't need to be sold for money to survive. In the mean time, I persist. I train. I read. I reject. I improve. I seek. I challenge. I persevere. I adapt. I fall. I stand up.
I admire your choice, Tim. You "chose" your path. All those who calming be forced into debt, jobs they do not like, and so on, are also "choosing" their path in life. I was careful in this piece to make it clear there are no victims. That is the burden of America: to "choose" the life others want you to live, or "choose" your own self authored path. It is crucial.
As an outsider and non-American, I do think it's inspiring to read what you just wrote Sam! I do think a lot of things that are happening not only in America, but worldwide, are very questionable and frankly shocking at times, but to still see that the idea and the spirit behind the American dream is so alive in certain individuals, AND also expresses itself in so many unique ways, many of them absolutely beautiful and poetic! I hope too that the third way you proposed, or maybe even another amalgamation of other ideas finds its way through, we're all truly made for more than doomscrolling, dark crimes and meaninglessness.
Well said, Kai. The world as a whole as you point is riddled with issues at the moment, made all the worse because of how globalized and interconnected every facet of life is. It will probably come back down to the individual basis—individuals, individual families, just as it always has. The fight is just beginning.
Speaking of which, it's time for me to go to the gym and fight some dudes.
I suppose that is always a viable option as well. It is American, to say the least.
Freddy should run for president!
Now seriously: "...that America is still exceptional and worth fighting for precisely because it gives us the option of defining our own mortal necessity in life, and stoking our own profound love of life."
Sam, this is why I think there should be mandatory service in America. Whether it's military service, law enforcement, or working as an EMT or firefighter for a period of time, I believe it would help instill a stronger sense of duty, patriotism, and resilience. Service can be a great equalizer, as well. It brings people from different social and economic backgrounds together, putting them through the same challenges and hardships.
Anyway, Freddy was and is the man!
Thanks Uri. It is a tough call. I see the merits to mandatory service, but the word "mandatory" is the problem. If enough people decide they do not want to serve this country and its people, then it is time for the country to implode and be replaced by a better one. I think it is that simple. The "voluntary" part is crucial, it is everything, it is the ultimate litmus test. This could be me being overly romantic and hopeful, but history is full of enough example of failed states who made service mandatory. I hope America does not become one of them.
I’m sympathetic to your point about voluntary Sam, but many Freddie’s in WWII were drafted or enlisted to ensure they could pick their branch. Ideally we would have a nation of volunteers but we don’t. We have the many, protected by the very few. … and many of the few are sons and daughters of an earlier generation of “the few.“ Most parents I know, including my girlfriend recoil at the idea of their little darlings being in the military. We both know that the military would do them good. In fact, they would gain more than our country would gain from having them serve. Ultimately though our country would gain by having a citizenry with a background of service and dare I say, sacrifice and god forbid, discipline.
I hear you. Again, there are merits. Maybe it is the rebellious portion of me, what I would call the American portion, that would be inclined to disagree with whatever force acts on me with a "must". Those who need the "must" strike me as the people who are the most dangerous, because they can molded in any direction: pro, or anti, American, depending on who is molding them. Much to think on.
I hear you, and I see your point. It's a valid one, especially if you've lived in countries with military governments. That said, this is America, and to build on what Marshall said, I think both the country and its citizens would benefit from some form of service. Maybe not mandatory, I understand how that word can trigger strong reactions, but something that's highly encouraged or incentivized instead.
In America, you can choose to live the way you wish, in contrast with other societies less founded on free choices. As a society we are choosing victimhood and victimizing, we are choosing telling others what to do rather than posing to ourselves that question of 'how do I live today'? With what virtues? We are choosing self indulgence and ease.
The antidote is the reverse path that you write about in 'What Then?'. To defend the inner citadel of reasoned choice, to do hard things together and alone without whining. To make mistakes in our pursuits and grow. To take our eyes off our navels and fight good fights, while laughing and living and learning.
Hats off to you Sam. Happy 250th. Regards to your inner Freddie.
Beautifully said. Let's laugh and learn and fight for inner citadel. Thank you Anthony.
What most brings us alive and brings us together is a shared mission and a common enemy. It has been a very long time (WWII, and very briefly after 9/11) since we in the US have had either. The rot is increasingly obvious. I strongly agree that the espoused IDEA(L) of America is worth fighting for. We need an external threat to end our internal wars against each other (that aggressive energy needs to go somewhere!). I thought climate heating might be that common enemy, but it’s literally too much slow boiling frog paradigm to wake us up. Probably not China. They know how to win without fighting (very subtle). We shall see.
Thanks for writing in a way that provokes both thinking and passion, Sam!
There is a lot here Baird. Agreed on the "IDEA(L)". Just about everything we have seen in the last decades is a mockery of what this country was founded to be, and its decline is increasing daily. Individuals... it all comes back to individuals who articulate the IDEA(L). Otherwise we go the way of every nation that has come before us.
Sam, if we think on the early days of this great experiment, this great idea called America the issue was in doubt many times. Roughly 1/3 wished to remain loyal to England and the King and they had skin in the game, a lot of it. 1/3 wanted out, ready and willing to potentially die to be free and set their course. 1/3 didn’t give a damn, “whatever”! The stalwarts wrote the Declaration of Independence fought a war and wrote a constitution and then the Federalist papers to explain it all. (They are worth reading) So it came to pass, we won our freedom, but it has cost us as nation dearly several times. The saddest being the war between the States. It haunts us still today. There will be a USA in 250 years if we keep the rule of 1/3rds alive. Let 1/3rd be miserable and babble about no kings or be a part of the political or armed world of ANTIFA. (Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dorn are in orgasmic ecstasy every day they now have a political party and an army this time)1/3rd are obese, lumping along and hoping for better things to come, they are unaware that they are counting on the last 1/3rd to save their bacon. That last 1/3rd are those that just refuse to quit. They see this nation, this great experiment as worth saving and readily leave home to save it. When that 1/3rd and the blind, lame and lazy of the second 1/3rd wake with them, then this current rabble running things will have some real problems. In the meantime we of warrior 1/3rd stay fit, are trying to stay left of bang, live life to the fullest as we know how short and precious life is, you have heard me say it before but “for us there is only the trying the rest is not our business.” (TS Eliot) We need to lead from wherever we can best direct the action of our troops, usually that is from the front but not always. But lead we ought do. If you called tomorrow and said meet me at X we are going swimming, I would be there and 10 minutes early. My guess is it wouldn’t be good, but no doubt very intersting once we got there…hate the thought of being a sugar cookie…but whatever it takes..that said it would be better if the Commandant of the USMC said get to Camp LeJeune and await orders, wouldn’t want to slow you and the other grandson’s of the Freddie’s down.
Great post!’
"If you called tomorrow and said meet me at X we are going swimming, I would be there and 10 minutes early." Charles, there are countless 20-30 year olds I have said this to who never showed up because it was early or too cold. For this alone, you are awesome and still in the fight.
Sam, first lesson learned in competitive rowing is that it starts early..so when the alarm goes off 0430 the magic begins and it is simple, get one foot on the floor, gravity takes over, the legs swing out of the rack, and off to the boathouse you go. So it goes, OCS, TBS, IOC, your first rifle platoon and subsequent commands and responsibilities. In the end, as you Frogmen know better than most you’re doing hard things for each other, if you are in a “team” rowing shell, the other oarsmen are counting on you. If you are rowing your single, you know every other guy in a single out that has your dreams and aspirations is rowing…and rowing hard. Tired, cold, wet, hot, pain, these are all just another feeling!!
It is striking how much better of a life this is than drifting in ease, waiting for something magical to happen. I wish this could be "seen" on a national level so that those missing out knew what it looked it.
Boy have the many missed out. I have thought a lot about how to reach them, how do we encourage them to take life on in full measure. I guess in the final analysis we just live our lives, and push the notion of stoicism, lead by example. Do that funny thing called “showing up.” Showing up and saying that we won’’t let life pass us by. I try every day to lead by example. In my “grooming standards” in my dress, (yes I still check my gig line all the time..) At the boathouse and dock and on the water. The routine, the attention to detail, the consistency in the effort. I figured the junior oarsmen and woman see it, and maybe they will catch on. Which some are indeed doing. They are by the way the athletes on the medals podium at the youth nationals. Hmmm go figure! So we carry on. Gallows humor is a key component!
Thomas Jefferson was 33 when he wrote the Declaration of Independence…don’t wait too long in life!
1/3? You are an optimist.
Am a pathological optimist. The other choices are dark and stark…no thanks…as Sam and i have discussed here, when death smiles at you, all you can do is smile back.
While giving death the finger at the same time.
Lets. Fucking. Go.
At 80 with most of my life behind me, I often find myself wondering if we need another nationwide catastrophic event such as the great depression to pull us out of this doom scrolling tik Tok world in which we find ourselves. Perhaps then people could actually look up from their devices and rediscover we're more alike than different. And lots of Freddies could emerge. Thanks for another great article
Rock and roll, Tom. I've had similar apocalyptic visions, but still hold onto the hope we can create the better future if enough individuals are capable of articulating the value of freedom. There will also be the extremes—the fight is to keep them at the extremes and from ruining the center. It is a good fight.
I agree with you, Tom. Was aiming for the same thing in my comment. 80 years can bring some wisdom! 🖖
This quote by Hopf keeps coming back “Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times." Sam, you make it clear that it doesn’t apply to INDIVIDUALS. Seals have a way to find these individuals and America has to find more individuals to invalidate this current trend. The first years of our country were Freddies and we need them for another 250!
That's all there is to it, thanks Barry. We need as many Freddies as we can get.
There was no better way to prepare Americans for WWII than the Great Depression. For ten years, every single person lived by their wits, using their ingenuity, creativity, and grit everyday just to survive.
It has been proven over and over again, at every level of individuality, nothing is more destructive to an identity than success.
This is right on.
Brilliant as always. We can do hard things... we MUST do hard things. There is no other way. Our life of luxury is a poison, and we feel it in our bones. We complain about affordability amongst our own opulence without understanding actual need. We must strive because what we are doing doing, just ain't cutting it.
To your preface, which addresses your critiquing of America today, I see it not as a bitch fest or venting session, nor do I see it as pissing in America’s Wheaties, but rather an honest, hard hitting deep dive into the situations which birthed the values you see as essential to America’s exceptionalism. I see you dissecting the ancient ways people survived, and thrived, and I see you wrestling with how to rekindle reliance on these techniques and strategies in this modern world of technology and ease. If we are to breathe life back into this great nation we need to first recognize meaningfulness in the necessity of struggle; stand up straight, take a deep breath, look to our left & right at teammates, grin and say “LFG.”
It is a needle being threaded, and you're on point here. LFG indeed.
Another T-shirt! Ha. Happy birthday America!
Totally agree. It is only through suffering that the pursuit of happiness becomes happiness. The country surviving is a perception problem. I’ve spent the past five days circulating through two small towns in the mountains of North Carolina. I had significant conversations with 15 people. These communities and many like them where I live are thriving economically and dynamically at a relational level. They are filled with people fleeing the cities. My assessment is that America will survive another 250 years because the order of nature is shifting the scale of living away from large, centralized cities, to smaller local communities where individuals can participate and contribute to the welfare of the place they live. When we suffer together to care for our neighbors, we become more civilized. In other words, we survive where we are free to be accountable for the life of our community. The issue of scale of cities has been known and ignored since the 19th century. Henry George and Leopold Kohr are voices who should be part of this discussion..
This is an epic thought. I can see it as well, as I am one of those who will be making a similar move soon. Thanks for this, Ed, as well as for the optimism.
The frogman did not have to find his purpose. The war handed it to him, and America was the reason. He met it in the surf zone or he died there. The man today gets no war and no handed purpose, so he decides he has none. He is wrong. It is still there. He has to go and find it and meet it himself. America did not stop being the reason. The man just forgot.
This is it entirely. There are no victims here, only self-made victims. That is the painful gift of America. And of life as a whole, ironically enough.
I remember the problems with troops in Vietnam, when they were being drafted, and thinking we could fix everything with voluntary service.
Now, half a century later, I see the problems with a volunteer military; it’s incredibly efficient but government is much more likely to start ground wars because no parents are melting their congressman’s phone, and the public can afford indifference because nobody knows a soldier these days.
I guess there’s no free lunch, or perfect solution.
No free lunch indeed. This is one of those perennial problems we are always going to deal with. It is striking though the difference in attitudes about the draft between WWII and Vietnam. In the former, there were men committing suicide if they could not go to war. In the latter, men were willing to go to prison rather than war. This has always led me to not want a draft or anything mandatory. If the country has to force its citizens to fight, either the war probably should not be fought in the first place or the country needs to go through a re-awakening to learn what it is. Much to think on.
Heck yeah, loved this essay 🇺🇸
I've been pondering the idea of Minimal Necessary Suffering - the cringe, the ass kicking, the falling short, the shame, the loss, the exhaustion, the insecurity.
Because on the other side is self-awareness, self-improvement, comradeship, admiration to peers who outperform.
The Great Inversion is we have to re-choose the minimal necessary suffering because we've "solved" our way to experiencing less than the minimum. But it needs a purpose.
I think The Way is we choose goals so lofty that we have to suffer to achieve them.
Brother, this sounds like an excellent essay, and sort of complement to "Seriousness". I would love to read it.
Is there any real way to unite this country again? I don't see it possible and I'm far from a pessimist. The extremes of society are continue to sprint away from one another and the folks in the middle are trying not to drown. These "tools" that are created to revolutionize our lives are sold or force fed to us as a means of progress, while harvesting our data, time, cognition, capability and even our personal agency (and much more). The ones that are pilfering and raping this country don't want its citizens united. That type of unity would put an end to their depraved run.
Our money isn't worth what used to be thanks to a long line of policies created by politicians that had "our" best interest in mind. Our children are born in debt to the economy. Our children are born slaves to a machine perverted by greed that needs their bodies and time for its nourishment. Positions of public service are now a means of enriching yourself and friends.
So many are wrapped up in their echo chamber of whoever their political ideology tells them to hate and "other", they somehow forget how ruthlessly they are being fucked, with no lube.
All I want is to work my ass off and earn my cabin in the woods and to be left alone by the insanity that constantly knocks at my door. I want to earn the right to have time that doesn't need to be sold for money to survive. In the mean time, I persist. I train. I read. I reject. I improve. I seek. I challenge. I persevere. I adapt. I fall. I stand up.
I admire your choice, Tim. You "chose" your path. All those who calming be forced into debt, jobs they do not like, and so on, are also "choosing" their path in life. I was careful in this piece to make it clear there are no victims. That is the burden of America: to "choose" the life others want you to live, or "choose" your own self authored path. It is crucial.