Been thinking about life, passion, and purpose, and in particular, this seemingly ambiguous idea of one’s “calling.” Came across an address to members of the military, and despite unfortunate and unacceptable recent events in the news that may have colored many of our perceptions, these words spoke in a way that unexpectedly awakened and humbled me today:
“Your peculiar calling is to kill, and if need be, to die for the rest of us, or to support with your untiring effort those who do so. Your work is hallowed in so far as the cause for which you fight is just, and in so far as you use no more force than is necessary to subdue our enemies. You serve well if you fight not to destroy what you hate, but to defend what you love.
“Let us here acknowledge that those who espouse pacifism do so with the reasonable expectation of living a full life only because you protect them with your willingness to make war. May the rest of us take care not to squander the peace that you now buy with your courage and hard work.”