Letters to the Editor
MomoCat
Published Letters: 34 Editor's Choice: 14
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Serving
[Read the article: Fit to command]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The key word in 'military service' isn't 'military'. It's 'service'.
Those who enter the 'service' are serving others at the ostensible cost of serving themselves. They might get some personal growth or strength or career benefit from the time spent 'serving', but the primary goal is to serve the needs of the country. While in the service, there is little personal choice about the means by which one is allowed to serve, or where. This is part of serving - you don't get to cherry-pick what parts you do and what you don't.
There are other ways to serve your country that don't involve the military, but which involve putting your own immediate desires, goals and requirements behind those of the service you are performing. Many countries allow conscientious objectors to the draft (and don't forget that unlike the US, almost all European countries never stopped drafting young men into military) to exchange their time of military service for civilian service. This can involve putting in time at a hospital or retirement home, doing menial jobs in government institutions, and so on. The service period is longer than that spent in the military because the kind of work doesn't tend to be as physically demanding, nor are the civilian servicepeople in danger of being sent to war zones. They are, however, at the disposal of their country for a certain length of time.
What we learn from serving our country and serving others is that our needs do not always come first, that there is glory in being of service, and that working as a part of something larger than yourself can be a very rewarding, humbling and maturing experience.
It goes without saying that the mere fact of entering the service doesn't prevent some from abusing the system, using connections to get the easy jobs, or just plain not showing up for work and getting away with it. We know these people didn't do much character building because they never really served anything but their own interests. So having been in the military service doesn't automatically qualify anyone for presidential aspirations.
A general call to military and civilian arms in the name of the nation, however, might build us a few more candidates who have bigger things in mind than their own personal desires.
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If the shoe fits...
[Read the article: Dropping shopping]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I spent much of my childhood in a pared-down, hippie/Buddhist/back-to-nature household - no tv, no magazines, heck, no electricity or telephone. One pair of boots, period, and a few items of clothing for the various seasons, and generally, things seemed pretty good. I appreciate nice things and at the same time, can't tolerate having too much stuff around - our house is the subject of annual purges. I've moved far beyond the "one pair of boots at a time" lifestyle, don't feel even a tiny bit guilty about it, but still wait for things to wear out before replacing them.
I have friends, and not just well-off Manhattenites, who buy new stuff almost every day. They tend, like the author, to be smart, funny, enjoyable women. I've always thought the consumerist habit, like any other addiction, was a way of trying to fill up a space somewhere. To stuff it full of stuff. After all, we are raised to consume, and if we all stopped buying, where would our capitalist economies be?
I can't say I enjoyed the article, but it seemed a good representation of the 'I feel really guilty about (insert addiction name here) and know it's wrong, but it's socially acceptable so I'll keep doing it anyway' attitude we have towards so many things, whether it's our addiction to cars, energy, water use, food, booze, non-stop entertainment, and most other legally permissable forms of over-indulgence. Does the article get in there and rub at the nubbin of the issue? Not really. But it provides a little window into someone's thoughts who just isn't willing to go that far, and that's interesting in itself.
And for those addicted to venting their disappointment, I'd like to suggest a little over-indulgence in tolerance and patience for a change. Don't like the article? Don't read it, or better yet, write something better.