Tonight Mark and I watched a very raw, painful, honest documentary that followed a group of soldiers as they established an outpost in the dangerous mountains of Afghanistan. These soldiers were willing to sacrifice everything - comfort, personal safety, family relationships, a future, and comrades - for a cause. And it got me to thinking.
What war am I willing to fight?
There are so many causes that are valuable, but I have to wonder what one battle I would be willing to fight until the end. People often refer to the hills they will die on, but really - I don't believe that there are more than one...maybe two...convictions that people will honestly risk everything for. There are lots of issues I am willing to argue for or against. There are issues that cause me to vote for or against specific candidates. I even have a few deal breaker convictions that affect my relationships. But for what will I give up my comfortable home, my safety, my lovely life?
I don't think most average Americans - military folks excluded - have a real comprehension of what taking a conviction to its final end is all about. I don't think we (myself included) understand what it is like to move forward without second guessing the cost, to have a conviction run so deep that follow through is a compulsion. I wonder if we truly have convictions we wouldn't second guess when it came to a life altering - actually lifestyle altering - conviction.
This is a conversation Mark and I plan on having very soon - what are we really willing to lay down our comfort, safety, convenience, or relationships for.
I want to come back to this some time and blog through it some more. It's a question that I may be wrestling with for awhile.
What war am I willing to fight?
There are so many causes that are valuable, but I have to wonder what one battle I would be willing to fight until the end. People often refer to the hills they will die on, but really - I don't believe that there are more than one...maybe two...convictions that people will honestly risk everything for. There are lots of issues I am willing to argue for or against. There are issues that cause me to vote for or against specific candidates. I even have a few deal breaker convictions that affect my relationships. But for what will I give up my comfortable home, my safety, my lovely life?
I don't think most average Americans - military folks excluded - have a real comprehension of what taking a conviction to its final end is all about. I don't think we (myself included) understand what it is like to move forward without second guessing the cost, to have a conviction run so deep that follow through is a compulsion. I wonder if we truly have convictions we wouldn't second guess when it came to a life altering - actually lifestyle altering - conviction.
This is a conversation Mark and I plan on having very soon - what are we really willing to lay down our comfort, safety, convenience, or relationships for.
I want to come back to this some time and blog through it some more. It's a question that I may be wrestling with for awhile.
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