It’s Homecoming Weekend at Benedictine; therefore I’m choked for time. So I’m going make this quick. Since I don’t have the time to get deep into anything, I’ll leave that to you; if you care to throw in your two cents, feel free to comment. Or post my Facebook page. Or tweet me. Whatever you like.
How many of you have seen a war movie? A graphic war movie? I’m thinking of a scene from Black Hawk Down; if that doesn’t ring a bell, it’s about the Mogadishu disaster in Somalia back in the 90s. At one point, one of the men is shot from behind… and has to be operated on. No anesthetic. Just the words of his friends and their firm hands. I won’t go into any more details than that, but if you haven’t seen it, be assured it’s not easy to watch.
It’s no easier to reflect on. A while after seeing it, I went to the doctor and had to get a shot so he could fix a toe without causing me any pain. I thought about the man in the movie. People suffer pain like that everyday, and we in America have the resources to avoid it.
Is this ultimately good for us?
As someone who's had surgery I can attest to the benefits of modern pain medication. I think that there is a problem with too much comfort in our lives (mine included) but I'll still want some pills if someone sticks a knife in me. One indication of our overly comfortable culture is the decline of hunting among young men in America. Few people want to sit in a tree stand or climb a mountain in freezing weather for eight hours at a time. I'm not at all saying that men who don't hunt are wimpy, I'm just providing an example of people choosing bland comfort over a fulfilling but painful experience.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I'm concerned about. I know for myself that I cling too tight to "bland comfort", and I know that I'm not the only one. My whole generation is full of kids who've had access to good food, drink, and such stuff- and parents who don't see why not to let them have it. If we have to let these things go as a nation, will we?
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