The Secret Lives of Army Rangers
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
- George Orwell
Most of you know my cousin got married last weekend. He is a graduate of West Pointe Military Academy and Ranger School, recently made captain, and was accepted to the Special Forces a few weeks back. Two years ago I got awfully close to joining the Navy in the hopes of becoming a SEAL. When it came down to it, I didn't have the chutspa to put my ass on the line like he did. It pains me to admit this, but for awhile I was extremely jealous that he was the one defending our country, while I crunched numbers and sweated a mortgage.
As Divine Providence would have it, I was placed at a table with two Rangers. They were both men of average height and build; if you saw either of them on the street you would never guess that they could kill you in less than ten seconds. After a glass or two of wine I worked up the courage to tell them how much I respected what they did, defending this great nation, and how much I appreciate the sacrifices that they have made. For a brief second there, I was ready to get up from the table, drive to the nearest recruiters office and join the Armed Forces.
With that thought in the back of my mind one of the guys said, "Yeah, it's not for everybody. It's a tough life. If I had to do it all over again, I really think I would have gone to a norma university and have tried to work in Finance." I couldn't fucking believe it. For about two years I have fantasized about being in the military and all the while this Ranger had fantasized about having a job like mine. And with his comments I gained a small insight into the human condition: Everyone wants to be someone else.
My guess is that CEOs dream of being football coaches, firefighters dream of being professional athletes, and Starbucks' baristas dream of being professional writers. These examples may not be 100% correct, but you get the drift.
For the past two months I have had this sentence in my mind that I couldn't quite finish. "In the end, what you are trying to create in your life is ________." After this weekend I think I know what that missing blank is: pure presence. It seems that the whole point of this Cosmic Dance is to get to a place where the life you are living is the life that you want to live, and your mind doesn't consistently say, "Gosh, I wish I was somone else." When a person gets to a point where they are living their life they way they see fit, and are truly comfortable in that space that magic happens.
So, in the past month I have ruled out the idea of being a high school teacher and a Special Forces Operative. All that I really have to do now is focus on my work at hand and make it through this quarter's financial reporting season.
- George Orwell
Most of you know my cousin got married last weekend. He is a graduate of West Pointe Military Academy and Ranger School, recently made captain, and was accepted to the Special Forces a few weeks back. Two years ago I got awfully close to joining the Navy in the hopes of becoming a SEAL. When it came down to it, I didn't have the chutspa to put my ass on the line like he did. It pains me to admit this, but for awhile I was extremely jealous that he was the one defending our country, while I crunched numbers and sweated a mortgage.
As Divine Providence would have it, I was placed at a table with two Rangers. They were both men of average height and build; if you saw either of them on the street you would never guess that they could kill you in less than ten seconds. After a glass or two of wine I worked up the courage to tell them how much I respected what they did, defending this great nation, and how much I appreciate the sacrifices that they have made. For a brief second there, I was ready to get up from the table, drive to the nearest recruiters office and join the Armed Forces.
With that thought in the back of my mind one of the guys said, "Yeah, it's not for everybody. It's a tough life. If I had to do it all over again, I really think I would have gone to a norma university and have tried to work in Finance." I couldn't fucking believe it. For about two years I have fantasized about being in the military and all the while this Ranger had fantasized about having a job like mine. And with his comments I gained a small insight into the human condition: Everyone wants to be someone else.
My guess is that CEOs dream of being football coaches, firefighters dream of being professional athletes, and Starbucks' baristas dream of being professional writers. These examples may not be 100% correct, but you get the drift.
For the past two months I have had this sentence in my mind that I couldn't quite finish. "In the end, what you are trying to create in your life is ________." After this weekend I think I know what that missing blank is: pure presence. It seems that the whole point of this Cosmic Dance is to get to a place where the life you are living is the life that you want to live, and your mind doesn't consistently say, "Gosh, I wish I was somone else." When a person gets to a point where they are living their life they way they see fit, and are truly comfortable in that space that magic happens.
So, in the past month I have ruled out the idea of being a high school teacher and a Special Forces Operative. All that I really have to do now is focus on my work at hand and make it through this quarter's financial reporting season.
posted by Zen_Accountant at 9:28 PM
2 Comments:
Yup, grass is greener on the other side of the fence. The problem is that once you get to the other side of the fence, you run the risk of seeing that it really wasn't greener. The ranger doesn't really know what a life in Finance means. He knows that he wouldn't be away from his family for so long and wouldn't be in a position every day and that probably sounds really good. Does he know that a life in finance could mean that the only daylight he gets to see is the sun rise on his morning commute and the sun set on his evening commute? That he would be lucky to get an hour of exercise every day? I'll bet if he made the switch he would realize what he had wasn't so bad. Take for example my Dad's friend. He was adpoted from overseas. He, an orphan, thought he was starting a new life with a new family. His new family thought they had just obtained a servant that they didn't have to pay. At eighteen he left his family, angry and poor. Over his life he worked hard, made some sound decisions, and now lives in a house that is similar to the Belagio hotel. An American success story. He owns mini malls and doesn't have to work at all. Sounds great, right? After a couple of years he was miserable because he didn't have something defining his life, like a job.
What I'm trying to say is Mike is absolutly right. If you have a dream, by all means chase it. When you get there don't be too disappointed that it isn't what you hoped. The real success in this life comes when you understand how to be happy with what you have. Stop being envious of others because I promise, they have problems too.
MD
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