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The Present is a Gift
I sit across the table from my friend and stare at the space behind her. “Dude, what are you thinking about?” That question is a broken record, permanently playing in my ears. Everyone wants to know what is going on in my head. When I answer, I realize that I am never in the present moment. My thoughts are filled with things I could have done better in the past, things I need to do in the future. What is this? This inability to just be in the moment, to be grateful of what is happening. From the moment we can talk, our society trains us to be non-present. Through history classes, we learn that the past is important to learn about because we need to learn from our mistakes. In middle school we are molded into machines that perform goal setting tasks. How come the present is belittled by society’s ideals?
In the life of a soldier, these petty cares drift away and focus is directed towards making it through situations alive. When everything a soldier holds on to, their aspirations for their future, their job, their accomplishments; when all of this is stripped away they realize how trivial the majority of their lives are. Essentially, a soldier only has the moment he is living and his comrades to hold onto. Through history and war novels, such as All Quiet on the Western Front, we see the difficulties of a soldier. Not only are they faced with brutal situations and tragic moments, they wrestle with indescribable emotions. The general assumption is that soldiers don’t know how to share the hate towards the pain and anger with the public. What about the other side of the emotional spectrum in the war? Is it possible for one to love war? To love this beast; this devastating truth of our world. Just maybe, these soldiers are feeling an emotion of compassion towards war and admitting this is too difficult. To feel loving towards war is viewed as ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’, and so there is no way to express this love without feeling judged. To be able to support those suffering through emotional turmoil after coming home from the war we need to understand the two sides of the experience of emotions in war. No one knows better than a soldier how it feels to live in this reality of never knowing when you will take your last breath. No one knows better than a soldier that every single second is a gift that cannot be taken for granted.
The fact that war is horrific is something that none can deny. The death and damage of our past has proved this to be true. In the article “Why Men Love War” the author states: “War is ugly, horrible, evil and it is reasonable for men to hate all that.”(Broyles, 1) In World War One and World War Two, two types of warfare were executed. Trench warfare was mainly used in World War One before the fighting moved to the cities and urban warfare was initiated. Trench warfare is where the fighting happened on a large plane in between two trenches dug by each side. Through this method of fighting, you knew exactly where your enemy was and you knew where they could attack you from. In the book by Erich Maria Remarque trench warfare is shown to us through the mass deaths it caused: “A whole line has gone down before our machine guns…”(112) Soldiers would often charge the opposite trench to face the enemy; however with machine guns many of the rushing men got shot down before they reached the other trench. Visualize running into battle, spurred by the adrenaline of battle, next to your comrade, your brother. It happens so fast you don’t have time to react or stop when they are shot down beside you. That familiar warmth of a partner being by your side is gone and you are left with a cold sense of anxiety because you don’t know if you will be the next to get shot. During trench warfare the soldiers would be stuck in their trenches without a way to get resources for long periods while they were being bombarded. Can you imagine that sensation of helplessness? You could die right there and not be able to do anything about the fact that you were slowing starving or going insane. In World War Two, the fighting moved into cities and trench warfare dissolved into urban warfare. This fighting mainly included hand to hand combat and required sneaky maneuvers coupled with intense strategy. The Siege of Stalingrad, urban fighting in World War Two, is portrayed through the movie “Enemy at the Gates.”(2001) In this movie we see the men fighting in towns and through this movie we see the downside of the buildings and extra hiding places. The men fighting in cities could hide behind buildings and ambush their opponents. A human cannot see three hundred and sixty degrees, so a soldier can’t know if they will be ambushed. Anxiety grew within a soldier when they lived every day not knowing if they would be attacked and killed before knowing they saw their attackers face. Through urban warfare opponents could sneak up on each other and attack from behind; death would reach the victim before they could react to the attack. These soldiers walked through life constantly stressed out about being killed; can you imagine how horrible it would be to be constantly anxious because you had no idea when you would fall down and fail to rise?
Not only are soldiers put through physical and mental stress in the actual fighting and combat, they are also put through emotional pressure. The separation of families is an event that often leaves depressed tears wandering the faces of the departing and the families. In many cases, the soldier leaves a pregnant wife when he goes to the war and his child is born while he is away. He can’t be there to support his wife and to hold his newborn baby. Some soldiers leave their parents in sickness and poor health and may not be there when their breath dwindles away. Unlike being on vacation, getting home isn’t easy for a soldier and while their family is dealing with joyous moments as well as difficult times, the soldier is distanced from this and sent to live in a world where the only family he has is that of his comrades. Remarque writes of how anyone outside of the war cannot understand: “You would not understand, you could not realize it.”(161) Here the main character of All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul, is stating clearly that even those closest to him before he left for war, like his mother, cannot understand what he goes through during the war. When a soldier comes home, there is apparent disconnect between the soldier and the people they used to be tightest to, like their families.
Through the war, the young people that serve our country grow up faster than they need to and they see things that an old man may never witness: “We are not youth any longer. We do not want to take the world by storm. We are fleeing. We are flying from ourselves. From our life. We were eighteen and had begun to love life and the world; and we had to shoot it to pieces.”(Remarque, 87-88) The war steals the youth and innocence from the fighters. War replaces the scant memories of a young fighter with only recollection of pain and horrible sadness. Anything learned in high school does not prepare a person to endure war and the emotional and physical baggage that goes along with it. What effect does this premature adulthood do to a soldier? Those who haven’t been in war are still, in essence, caught in a childish belief that there will always be a tomorrow. Between the civilians and the veterans, there is a lurking tension based on the fact that veterans know the secret of life because they were in war. They know that life is not guaranteed but there are simply not words to describe this to the civilization they come home to where everyone is young and naive. Through this, a soldier realizes the solidarity these experiences create when the soldier is immersed in the peacetime life. War is seen and experienced negatively, however there is a side of war that we, as spectators, don’t see; there is a side to war that fighters fall in love with.
Imagine perfect clarity. Perfect and complete understanding of the only thing that matters; this moment. Now imagine falling in love with this clearness. War takes away everything a soldier holds on to: “War replaces the difficult gray areas of daily life with an eerie, serene clarity.”(Broyles, 3) Here the author is comparing the mundane tasks of everyday life like grocery shopping or paying bills to the “difficult gray areas of daily life.” The war, however, removes all that and strips it away and so the soldier is left with the present moment. That feeling of just being in the present and not being concerned with anything else can be “eerie” just because it is so strange for humans who are constantly wrapped up with the future. Soldiers are left with this truth that every single second they are still inhaling and exhaling is a moment to be thankful for and the truth is exposed. Shoved into the brutal pain of the war, the only thing that still matters is the present moment. Through the war he sees that the things he used to think were important to his distinction as an individual are no longer significant and the only thing that matters is the very second he is living in. Everything he holds on to so desperately could be gone with the pull of a trigger.
Knowing that life is fragile allows soldiers to focus on the instant, the simplicity of their breath. Through this, focusing on a small focal point of your life, you can stay in the present moment. Speaking of war in All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul says: “We have become wild beasts.”(Remarque, 113) In the fighting and destruction the inner animalistic needs start to kick in and regard for humanity is demeaned. The basic need to survive is the only reasonable thought racing through a warrior’s head. This adrenaline rush and freedom of acting like an animal rather than over analyzing every detail of your life turns into an addiction for a soldier. It allows them to live more freely and experience everything more fully. They live and they are actually taking everything in in that moment because it might be their last.
In the life of a soldier, these petty cares drift away and focus is directed towards making it through situations alive. When everything a soldier holds on to, their aspirations for their future, their job, their accomplishments; when all of this is stripped away they realize how trivial the majority of their lives are. Essentially, a soldier only has the moment he is living and his comrades to hold onto. Through history and war novels, such as All Quiet on the Western Front, we see the difficulties of a soldier. Not only are they faced with brutal situations and tragic moments, they wrestle with indescribable emotions. The general assumption is that soldiers don’t know how to share the hate towards the pain and anger with the public. What about the other side of the emotional spectrum in the war? Is it possible for one to love war? To love this beast; this devastating truth of our world. Just maybe, these soldiers are feeling an emotion of compassion towards war and admitting this is too difficult. To feel loving towards war is viewed as ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’, and so there is no way to express this love without feeling judged. To be able to support those suffering through emotional turmoil after coming home from the war we need to understand the two sides of the experience of emotions in war. No one knows better than a soldier how it feels to live in this reality of never knowing when you will take your last breath. No one knows better than a soldier that every single second is a gift that cannot be taken for granted.
The fact that war is horrific is something that none can deny. The death and damage of our past has proved this to be true. In the article “Why Men Love War” the author states: “War is ugly, horrible, evil and it is reasonable for men to hate all that.”(Broyles, 1) In World War One and World War Two, two types of warfare were executed. Trench warfare was mainly used in World War One before the fighting moved to the cities and urban warfare was initiated. Trench warfare is where the fighting happened on a large plane in between two trenches dug by each side. Through this method of fighting, you knew exactly where your enemy was and you knew where they could attack you from. In the book by Erich Maria Remarque trench warfare is shown to us through the mass deaths it caused: “A whole line has gone down before our machine guns…”(112) Soldiers would often charge the opposite trench to face the enemy; however with machine guns many of the rushing men got shot down before they reached the other trench. Visualize running into battle, spurred by the adrenaline of battle, next to your comrade, your brother. It happens so fast you don’t have time to react or stop when they are shot down beside you. That familiar warmth of a partner being by your side is gone and you are left with a cold sense of anxiety because you don’t know if you will be the next to get shot. During trench warfare the soldiers would be stuck in their trenches without a way to get resources for long periods while they were being bombarded. Can you imagine that sensation of helplessness? You could die right there and not be able to do anything about the fact that you were slowing starving or going insane. In World War Two, the fighting moved into cities and trench warfare dissolved into urban warfare. This fighting mainly included hand to hand combat and required sneaky maneuvers coupled with intense strategy. The Siege of Stalingrad, urban fighting in World War Two, is portrayed through the movie “Enemy at the Gates.”(2001) In this movie we see the men fighting in towns and through this movie we see the downside of the buildings and extra hiding places. The men fighting in cities could hide behind buildings and ambush their opponents. A human cannot see three hundred and sixty degrees, so a soldier can’t know if they will be ambushed. Anxiety grew within a soldier when they lived every day not knowing if they would be attacked and killed before knowing they saw their attackers face. Through urban warfare opponents could sneak up on each other and attack from behind; death would reach the victim before they could react to the attack. These soldiers walked through life constantly stressed out about being killed; can you imagine how horrible it would be to be constantly anxious because you had no idea when you would fall down and fail to rise?
Not only are soldiers put through physical and mental stress in the actual fighting and combat, they are also put through emotional pressure. The separation of families is an event that often leaves depressed tears wandering the faces of the departing and the families. In many cases, the soldier leaves a pregnant wife when he goes to the war and his child is born while he is away. He can’t be there to support his wife and to hold his newborn baby. Some soldiers leave their parents in sickness and poor health and may not be there when their breath dwindles away. Unlike being on vacation, getting home isn’t easy for a soldier and while their family is dealing with joyous moments as well as difficult times, the soldier is distanced from this and sent to live in a world where the only family he has is that of his comrades. Remarque writes of how anyone outside of the war cannot understand: “You would not understand, you could not realize it.”(161) Here the main character of All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul, is stating clearly that even those closest to him before he left for war, like his mother, cannot understand what he goes through during the war. When a soldier comes home, there is apparent disconnect between the soldier and the people they used to be tightest to, like their families.
Through the war, the young people that serve our country grow up faster than they need to and they see things that an old man may never witness: “We are not youth any longer. We do not want to take the world by storm. We are fleeing. We are flying from ourselves. From our life. We were eighteen and had begun to love life and the world; and we had to shoot it to pieces.”(Remarque, 87-88) The war steals the youth and innocence from the fighters. War replaces the scant memories of a young fighter with only recollection of pain and horrible sadness. Anything learned in high school does not prepare a person to endure war and the emotional and physical baggage that goes along with it. What effect does this premature adulthood do to a soldier? Those who haven’t been in war are still, in essence, caught in a childish belief that there will always be a tomorrow. Between the civilians and the veterans, there is a lurking tension based on the fact that veterans know the secret of life because they were in war. They know that life is not guaranteed but there are simply not words to describe this to the civilization they come home to where everyone is young and naive. Through this, a soldier realizes the solidarity these experiences create when the soldier is immersed in the peacetime life. War is seen and experienced negatively, however there is a side of war that we, as spectators, don’t see; there is a side to war that fighters fall in love with.
Imagine perfect clarity. Perfect and complete understanding of the only thing that matters; this moment. Now imagine falling in love with this clearness. War takes away everything a soldier holds on to: “War replaces the difficult gray areas of daily life with an eerie, serene clarity.”(Broyles, 3) Here the author is comparing the mundane tasks of everyday life like grocery shopping or paying bills to the “difficult gray areas of daily life.” The war, however, removes all that and strips it away and so the soldier is left with the present moment. That feeling of just being in the present and not being concerned with anything else can be “eerie” just because it is so strange for humans who are constantly wrapped up with the future. Soldiers are left with this truth that every single second they are still inhaling and exhaling is a moment to be thankful for and the truth is exposed. Shoved into the brutal pain of the war, the only thing that still matters is the present moment. Through the war he sees that the things he used to think were important to his distinction as an individual are no longer significant and the only thing that matters is the very second he is living in. Everything he holds on to so desperately could be gone with the pull of a trigger.
Knowing that life is fragile allows soldiers to focus on the instant, the simplicity of their breath. Through this, focusing on a small focal point of your life, you can stay in the present moment. Speaking of war in All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul says: “We have become wild beasts.”(Remarque, 113) In the fighting and destruction the inner animalistic needs start to kick in and regard for humanity is demeaned. The basic need to survive is the only reasonable thought racing through a warrior’s head. This adrenaline rush and freedom of acting like an animal rather than over analyzing every detail of your life turns into an addiction for a soldier. It allows them to live more freely and experience everything more fully. They live and they are actually taking everything in in that moment because it might be their last.
Through this acceptance of living in the moment and nonattachment to material things, the soldiers can be much more aware and positive. This positivity is shown through the ability in the soldiers to still have fun and enjoy games: “We set the lid of the margarine tub on our knees and so have a good table for a game of skat. Kropp has the cards with him. After every misère ouverte we have a round of nap. One could sit like this forever.” (Remarque, 9) The author is explaining how the men in the war are just happy to be in the present. Humans can get lost in planning and preparing for moments that will happen later. Looking at the big picture like this can cause us to feel overwhelmed because there is so much to do; how can we possible do all of it successfully? Through the war a soldier recognizes the little things are just as important in life, despite what the goal setting activity leaders told you about organizing your life with the big things. Like college. If you don’t know when you are going to die those things that we often tell ourselves are of great importance are stripped away and the little things in the present are the only things left. In the movie “Zombieland”, the man that is still living through the zombie apocalypse realizes that at any moment his life may be over and so he makes one of his rules of surviving to appreciate the small stuff. (Zombieland, 2009) Grim situations like this make us realize that sometimes looking towards the future is not so great because the only thing you see in the future causes a deeper fear of the future. There are simple moments that you can hang onto that happen every day to stay positive. This is what soldiers are capable of doing because they are in a war, similar to an apocalypse, they don’t know if they will breathe tomorrow.
When faced with a life or death situation, a soldier reaches clarity and suddenly is in the raw moment with his soul. William Broyles Jr. wrote, “War stops time, intensifies experience to the point of a terrible ecstasy.”(2) Part of why men love war is that the adrenaline rush is so intense and exciting. Nothing in a man’s life will ever have as much intensity as that moment in war when they were ambushed, that time that they barely got out of the battle alive, knowing that nothing will ever hold this much excitement is disappointingly difficult to face. Paul gets caught in the rush of excitement and easily kills: “I do not think at all, I make no decision—I strike madly at home…”(Remarque, 216) This quote is showing how in the heat of the moment the adrenaline overrides reasonability. In the war, a man has his comrades, his companions he is fighting for and with. The rushing excitement, the passionate feeling towards rash actions is shared between the men. A soldier comes home and nothing can amount to that clarity, that greatness of adrenaline and no one understands it.
Before a soldier would cover herself with these identifying accomplishments, but when her life is on the line the only thing that really matters is her breath. In the fighting and destruction the inner animalistic needs start to kick in and the urge to survive overrules anything else that was previously important. After being adapted to the environment of living in that second the soldiers come home to a place where the world is perpetually focused on the future. Those who knew the magic of the present lose touch with each other and the beauty they discovered dissolves in the chaos of planning and predicting: “The special world that had sustained our intense comradeship was gone.”(Broyles, 5) They lose contact with their “war buddies” and feel obligated to keep their emotions of passion toward war under the surface because of the social expectations of no appreciation towards war. When men come home from war they become listless and distanced because they can’t experience these emotions of clarity and intensity. In the book Slaughterhouse Five, the main character, Billy Pilgrim, is convinced that he can time travel and that he was kidnapped by aliens. This is a part of the book where I feel it proves he is trying to get back to the intense moment of living in the present. He fabricates the aliens as a coping mechanism to help him deal with the mundane tasks of everyday life. Tralfamadorians, Billy’s make-believe aliens, say that every moment has happened and will happen so you can just focus on the present if you know the future and the past. Billy takes this to heart and impresses it upon his own life so that he might be able to reach that feeling of being in the war, being in one moment at a time. Billy becomes obsessed with this idea and anything nonrelated to the Tralfamadorians bores him. He is so focused on this idea because he is searching for a way to once again enter that clear state of mind. When a soldier comes home, things don’t go back to the way they were before he left. Soldiers are scarred, first with the pain and destruction they witnessed, and second with knowing it is possible to feel absolute understanding but they may never feel the understanding again.
War gives soldiers something that they can’t get anywhere else and they miss that when they come home. They become listless towards life because that understanding isn’t within their reach anymore. A soldier discloses his feelings regarding war says, “…I loved it. Loved it in strange and troubling ways.”(Broyles, 2). Even though a soldier is relieved to be out of the violence, the part of the war she misses is the other side that we never see. In the book All Quiet on the Western Front the main character goes home and he feels this disconnect between himself and his family. Also, he says, “I am a soldier, I must cling to that.” (Remarque, 173) When he says that, he is saying that he doesn’t have an identity outside of being a soldier so it is hard for him to live in a world where he isn’t a soldier anymore. Remarque says, “nothing stirs, listless and wretched, like a condemned man.”(172) At this point in the book the author illustrates to us that a soldier becomes disconnected and without an identity. They are so used to being in the present and being recognized as a soldier but when they come home they lose both of those things.
For the receiving families, there are ways to reach out and comfort that soldier. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs offers counseling for veterans returning home. These services provide solutions and techniques to successfully transition from war to peace time living. This program is so great because it includes individual and group counseling as well as family counseling. In the individual and group counseling, the soldier may be able to find connections and friends that have been in war and are experiencing similar emotions. Also, the individual sessions may aid a soldier in opening up and being able to understand better their emotions and the causes of those emotions. For families therapy sessions are also provided. Through this the families can gain clearer understanding of the soldiers experience and become aware of how they can assist in making the transition smooth while creating a supportive environment. (Vet Center Home, 2012) War is not the only way to reach the clarity of living in the moment.
Meditation is also a powerful resource that may suit veterans. The website “How to Meditate” says, “the purpose of meditation is to make our mind calm and peaceful.” A soldier in the middle of battle is living in the present moment and so his mind becomes calm. Through meditation it is possible for a soldier to once again reach the elusive ability to have a clear mind. Although meditation takes discipline and practice, it may hold a way for soldiers to transition into their everyday lives while still being able to connect to the truth of the present. How to Meditate states, “If we train in meditation, our mind will gradually become more and more peaceful, and we will experience a purer and purer form of happiness.” By having a peaceful mind, unbothered by the stresses of everyday life, we may be able to reach a vibrant sense of happiness. A soldier may have already been exposed to what happens when the mind is released from the chains of relentless planning for the future. However this state of mind doesn’t have to be closed off from a soldier because they will be able to access it once again through meditation. Some veterans may even find the practice of breathing meditations to be fairly simplistic. When faced with the possibility of death, breath becomes essential for a fighter to focus on. In breathing meditations, the breath is focused on as well to help stay focused; “…we should…remain focused single-pointedly on the sensation of the breath.”(How to Meditate, 2012) Obviously, meditation may unlock a comforting mechanism for veterans to rely on when they return to from war.
Shifting from a military lifestyle to an ordinary life can be difficult for a soldier to deal with. Nevertheless, this process doesn’t need to be negative or difficult. There are many ways for us to support our friend and family when they come home from war. Where there is patience and compassion as well as yearning for understanding, a soldier may eventually adjust and learn to be positive about coming home.
When faced with a life or death situation, a soldier reaches clarity and suddenly is in the raw moment with his soul. William Broyles Jr. wrote, “War stops time, intensifies experience to the point of a terrible ecstasy.”(2) Part of why men love war is that the adrenaline rush is so intense and exciting. Nothing in a man’s life will ever have as much intensity as that moment in war when they were ambushed, that time that they barely got out of the battle alive, knowing that nothing will ever hold this much excitement is disappointingly difficult to face. Paul gets caught in the rush of excitement and easily kills: “I do not think at all, I make no decision—I strike madly at home…”(Remarque, 216) This quote is showing how in the heat of the moment the adrenaline overrides reasonability. In the war, a man has his comrades, his companions he is fighting for and with. The rushing excitement, the passionate feeling towards rash actions is shared between the men. A soldier comes home and nothing can amount to that clarity, that greatness of adrenaline and no one understands it.
Before a soldier would cover herself with these identifying accomplishments, but when her life is on the line the only thing that really matters is her breath. In the fighting and destruction the inner animalistic needs start to kick in and the urge to survive overrules anything else that was previously important. After being adapted to the environment of living in that second the soldiers come home to a place where the world is perpetually focused on the future. Those who knew the magic of the present lose touch with each other and the beauty they discovered dissolves in the chaos of planning and predicting: “The special world that had sustained our intense comradeship was gone.”(Broyles, 5) They lose contact with their “war buddies” and feel obligated to keep their emotions of passion toward war under the surface because of the social expectations of no appreciation towards war. When men come home from war they become listless and distanced because they can’t experience these emotions of clarity and intensity. In the book Slaughterhouse Five, the main character, Billy Pilgrim, is convinced that he can time travel and that he was kidnapped by aliens. This is a part of the book where I feel it proves he is trying to get back to the intense moment of living in the present. He fabricates the aliens as a coping mechanism to help him deal with the mundane tasks of everyday life. Tralfamadorians, Billy’s make-believe aliens, say that every moment has happened and will happen so you can just focus on the present if you know the future and the past. Billy takes this to heart and impresses it upon his own life so that he might be able to reach that feeling of being in the war, being in one moment at a time. Billy becomes obsessed with this idea and anything nonrelated to the Tralfamadorians bores him. He is so focused on this idea because he is searching for a way to once again enter that clear state of mind. When a soldier comes home, things don’t go back to the way they were before he left. Soldiers are scarred, first with the pain and destruction they witnessed, and second with knowing it is possible to feel absolute understanding but they may never feel the understanding again.
War gives soldiers something that they can’t get anywhere else and they miss that when they come home. They become listless towards life because that understanding isn’t within their reach anymore. A soldier discloses his feelings regarding war says, “…I loved it. Loved it in strange and troubling ways.”(Broyles, 2). Even though a soldier is relieved to be out of the violence, the part of the war she misses is the other side that we never see. In the book All Quiet on the Western Front the main character goes home and he feels this disconnect between himself and his family. Also, he says, “I am a soldier, I must cling to that.” (Remarque, 173) When he says that, he is saying that he doesn’t have an identity outside of being a soldier so it is hard for him to live in a world where he isn’t a soldier anymore. Remarque says, “nothing stirs, listless and wretched, like a condemned man.”(172) At this point in the book the author illustrates to us that a soldier becomes disconnected and without an identity. They are so used to being in the present and being recognized as a soldier but when they come home they lose both of those things.
For the receiving families, there are ways to reach out and comfort that soldier. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs offers counseling for veterans returning home. These services provide solutions and techniques to successfully transition from war to peace time living. This program is so great because it includes individual and group counseling as well as family counseling. In the individual and group counseling, the soldier may be able to find connections and friends that have been in war and are experiencing similar emotions. Also, the individual sessions may aid a soldier in opening up and being able to understand better their emotions and the causes of those emotions. For families therapy sessions are also provided. Through this the families can gain clearer understanding of the soldiers experience and become aware of how they can assist in making the transition smooth while creating a supportive environment. (Vet Center Home, 2012) War is not the only way to reach the clarity of living in the moment.
Meditation is also a powerful resource that may suit veterans. The website “How to Meditate” says, “the purpose of meditation is to make our mind calm and peaceful.” A soldier in the middle of battle is living in the present moment and so his mind becomes calm. Through meditation it is possible for a soldier to once again reach the elusive ability to have a clear mind. Although meditation takes discipline and practice, it may hold a way for soldiers to transition into their everyday lives while still being able to connect to the truth of the present. How to Meditate states, “If we train in meditation, our mind will gradually become more and more peaceful, and we will experience a purer and purer form of happiness.” By having a peaceful mind, unbothered by the stresses of everyday life, we may be able to reach a vibrant sense of happiness. A soldier may have already been exposed to what happens when the mind is released from the chains of relentless planning for the future. However this state of mind doesn’t have to be closed off from a soldier because they will be able to access it once again through meditation. Some veterans may even find the practice of breathing meditations to be fairly simplistic. When faced with the possibility of death, breath becomes essential for a fighter to focus on. In breathing meditations, the breath is focused on as well to help stay focused; “…we should…remain focused single-pointedly on the sensation of the breath.”(How to Meditate, 2012) Obviously, meditation may unlock a comforting mechanism for veterans to rely on when they return to from war.
Shifting from a military lifestyle to an ordinary life can be difficult for a soldier to deal with. Nevertheless, this process doesn’t need to be negative or difficult. There are many ways for us to support our friend and family when they come home from war. Where there is patience and compassion as well as yearning for understanding, a soldier may eventually adjust and learn to be positive about coming home.
Works Cited
-Annaud, Jean Jacques, dir. Enemy at the Gates. Screenplay by Jean Jacques Annaud and Alain Godard. MP Film Management, 2001. Film.
-Broyles, William, Jr. "Why Men Love War." Esquire Nov. 1984: n. pag. Print.
-Fleischer, Ruben, dir. Zombieland. Screenplay by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Columbia Pictures, 2009. Film.
-How to Meditate. How to Mediate, 2012. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. <http://www.how-to-meditate.org/why-learn-to-meditate.htm/>.
-Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. New York: Random House, 1982. Print.
-United States Department of Veteran Affairs. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2 Aug. 2012. Web. 1 Nov. 2012 <http://www.vetcenter.va.gov/>.
-Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse 5 or The Children's Crusade. New York: Random House, 1969. Print.
-Annaud, Jean Jacques, dir. Enemy at the Gates. Screenplay by Jean Jacques Annaud and Alain Godard. MP Film Management, 2001. Film.
-Broyles, William, Jr. "Why Men Love War." Esquire Nov. 1984: n. pag. Print.
-Fleischer, Ruben, dir. Zombieland. Screenplay by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Columbia Pictures, 2009. Film.
-How to Meditate. How to Mediate, 2012. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. <http://www.how-to-meditate.org/why-learn-to-meditate.htm/>.
-Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. New York: Random House, 1982. Print.
-United States Department of Veteran Affairs. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2 Aug. 2012. Web. 1 Nov. 2012 <http://www.vetcenter.va.gov/>.
-Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse 5 or The Children's Crusade. New York: Random House, 1969. Print.
Animas High School 3206 North Main Avenue Durango, CO 81301 (970) 247-2474
My Contact Information: [email protected]
Updated on: 11.8.12
My Contact Information: [email protected]
Updated on: 11.8.12