Life goes on.
An ambiguous start to an entry, but there is no other way to put it. After the shock of losing our friend, life is stumbling back to normal at God’s resort, Camp Buehring. Flights are launching, training resuming, time marching. And so it goes. This world, if nothing else, is resilient. Great scars are healed by great victories, only to be subdued my greater scars and greater healing.
War is one of the most interesting institutions in all of academia. Through it we learn to listen to our innermost whispers. Through it we learn to ignore those same whispers. It is a remarkable thing to imagine how people continue to put themselves at harms way. But greater is experiencing loss of a comrade and then wish that upon someone else. I honestly marvel at the constitution of those who experienced substantial violence in war.
Through war we listen to the whisper that quietly says, ‘this is all you can take, all you can do, all you can muster, all you will endure.’ Thusly, through war, we learn we can take more, do more, muster more and endure more. God truly created marvelous beings. I am reminded of the scripture encouraging us that God will not put more on us then we can handle. If this is true, when you think of the atrocities flung about the globe on a daily basis, a man of contemplation cannot but wonder what is the limit of the human capacity.
Prepare yourself for the most trite, self-aggrandizing sentence you will read today. I am constantly more impressed by God.
If it is true the search for God ends in the ‘still small voice’, we must understand the core of the idea. It would mean God’s majesty is revealed in His details. I cannot get over the intricacies of His creation. It should come as no surprise He deemed it ‘good’.
What was I saying? Oh yes, life goes on.
We took a trip to Kuwait City. It was a canned trip to a science center followed by a buffet lunch at the Kuwaiti Towers. I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw the itinerary. I suppose this is what we Americans find entertaining. The other option was a trip to the mall followed by the buffet lunch! Indeed we as Americans are truly typecast.
Science. Capitalism. Excess. Seem to be the new American slogan. I realize to many of you this seems an unduly harsh criticism. Harsh or not, our actions and lifestyles reaffirm the idea every day. Remember when it was ‘Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’? What happened to those days? I’ll leave the political analysis to my brothers, but I shall supply you with my philosophic interpretation.
There is no difference. For both are vanities. The original was propaganda. The new is a simple deprivation of reasonable ideals. The pursuit of life led to the humanistic idea that we can manipulate it through our own mental exerts. Liberty was misconstrued as consent to chase wanton pleasure; the attainment of desire found legs in capitalism and greed. The pursuit of happiness, fueled by the monetary successes of capitalism became the societal gluttonies of excess.
Yes, this is a slap in the face. If we are not going to look honestly at ourselves or worse continue the back-slapping acceptance of our moral and social ineptitudes how do we propose to once again attain status as a light on a hill?
As I discussed last entry, our lifespan is no surprise to God. It stands to reason then neither is our birth. God chose us to live in this time. He will not exceed our capabilities. This leaves us, His children, with a monumental task before us; ending the paradigm of accepting of our moral mediocrity as a beacon of righteousness and turning a nation hell bent on Hell.
What was I saying? Oh yes, life goes on.
The trip was lovely if not a bit boring. I am not the canned trip kind of guy. Never have been and hopefully never will be. We left under the auspicious hope of bazaars and belly dancing Arab beauties. Those hopes were for naught, but we did happen to see some green grass, palm trees, a motorcycle riding a wheelie down the road, a pink Lamborghini, a Viper, a sheik and his entourage, the Kuwaiti Towers (representing the finest in 1970’s Swedish architecture) and a handful of American fast food joints.
Kuwaiti’s are more interesting for their bleak landscapes. It lends more time for patriotic confusion. On one hand they are fierce nationalists. A Kuwaiti can expect a significantly more substantial salary than his non-Kuwaiti counterpart (this in addition to the nearly $30,000 yearly stipend he receives for merely being Kuwaiti). On the other hand, the society is dominated by Western ideals of success, i.e. fast cars, fast food and designer cloths (not sure if Yves Saint Laurent made burkas, but it’d be worth looking into).
On one side, they believe in delving into their Bedouin heritage, spending the spring months rekindling the fires of their nomadic forefathers by camping in the desert wastelands. On the other, the camps have satellite television, propane heaters, gas generators and room for SUV parking.
On one hand their households are traditional in that entire families, in some cases to include up to four generations, live in the same abode. On the other, these same houses look like stacked Legos with painted Greek and Roman columns pushed into 1960’s American subdivisions.
Its no wonder they forbid alcohol. Can you imagine the exasperation alcohol would cause these chaotically confused people? For once I agree with an Arab.
What was I saying? Oh yes, life goes on.
We played softball last night. Despite my agreement with the Kuwaiti’s ban on alcohol, it hardly seems fair for levelheaded American softball players. If my memory serves me, beer was the reason they had to make the ball bigger and institute an underhand pitching rule, not to mention four outfielders. So without the beer, it degrades into a bunch of men playing a game they are a touch too good for; like golf when the green is placed in a sinkhole or bumper bowling.
But yes, life is going on. We are working and playing. Mostly we are looking anxiously to our calendars. Hump day, an ambiguous day marking the middle of the deployment, is close. I’ve deemed February 7th for such honors (though today being Groundhogs day would seem more apropos). I’d love to hear how you plan on celebrating ‘hump day’ as for me; I’m going to shave this mustache.
Be good.
I am celebrating groundhog day by reading your blog (yeah). Thats the familiar wit and sarcasm! I need a photo…what mustache??
Im with your Mom, what mustache!!!!! Thats interesting. Im spending my Groundhog day still trying to get things ready for the trip to Germany to see the fam! Having a two year old, you have to make sure you dont get yourself kicked off the plane aka bring alot of things to keep him from getting bored!
Dont work too hard and hope you enjoyed the videos!
I am celebrating with a snow day! We actually have an inch with more falling, so it will be a snowman kind of day for sure. The girls are excited and I am looking forward to this weekend on my own maybe more than I ever have!
It is groundhog day???
Brother,
As usual, an interesting read. A few thoughts:
When you say “For both are vanities” it makes me think you are substituting the faulty ideas of some for the intent of the founders. Many have confused the pursuit of happiness with a preoccupation with self-indulgence. True happiness (which is a lost concept to many today) has more to do with self-discipline for the sake of long-term rewards and less to do with immediate gratification.
Equating excess with vanity is understood but equating life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, science and capitalism with vanity lacks a critical distinction. Only when these are corrupted by self-centered excess – let’s call it what it is: idolatry – can they be equated with vanity. Christ’s redemption extends to ALL of creation – even the flawed pursuits of man. When accepted as a substitute for Christ THEN they are vanity.
Perhaps this distinction was assumed and therefore left unsaid but I am responding to what came across as I read. What do you think?
barabbas,
well said. its not an easily defended rampart; i attempted to say all were flawed ideas to a degree. you said it well when you spoke to curruption vis-a-vi idolatry.
less and less am i one to think, ‘those were the good ol days when the glorious founding fathers had a strangle hold on truth’. i am beginning to realize man is man and vanity and idolatry are vanity and idolatry no matter the time periord; periwigs or cell phones; beautiful oration or george bush…’there is nothing new under the sun’.
lw
i celebrated humpday with a warm heart, thoughts of my family, and a dirty martini on the rocks with one olive and one onion. today is the anniversary of my grandfather’s death.
i started off my day by calling my grandma kane as this is now my groundhog’s day tradition. i listened to her sweet new york accent carry on with, “hello darling” and “when are you going to come see me?” and my favorite “i have shaynaitis, i could be dieing!” she did most of the talking and i did my best to see her in my mind’s eye while i tried sending the biggest hug i can muster from 400 miles away.
next i went to work. instead of my usual tea i had black coffee because that’s how grandpa liked it. i think of him all day. the memories that came to me warmed my heart. After work i stop by trader joes and buy his favorite dark candy truffles and head home. i made a steak (extra rare), pored myself a dirty martini with one olive and one onion, and grabbed a truffle. i down at the table, lit a candle, enjoyed all of grandpa’s favorite things, and smiled.
you are right, life does on. and life is beautiful.