Military veterans are critical key in the service of humanity

As we approach another day dedicated to recognizing and honoring our Military Veterans and fallen Heroes, I can't help feeling that we are missing something very important in the way we go about "Thanking Veterans for their service". There is a sense that we are all playing a part in fooling ourselves by being satisfied with such banal gestures. There is just to much at stake when it comes to Veteran health and wellbeing upon their return home from service. 

As a result I have come to believe that there is a mistaken and dangerous  tendency to glorify the experience and personal commitment of military service, which includes the risking of life and limb, without any true understanding of the consequences that the experience incorporates. 

to the level of the truest, most significant and meaningful experience that one can have in life. It seems to have become valued as the experience that defines us as a nation and one that all other experiences are measured against. 

So, against this extreme measure, how are we to compare and evaluate qualities like sensitivity and depth of character or the disciplines and processes needed to develop these qualities? The extremely personal journey to develop these qualities can be a very lonely and lifelong endeavor. In our Individualistic culture and value system there really isn't any payoff for any of us to spend the time and resources necessary to develop or grow into versions of ourselves with enough awareness and social conciseness to be a better neighbor, father or mother, boss, employee, student, artist, policeman, and so on. The negative effects of this devaluing of our own humanity is all around us in the form of the erosion of social norms.... NEED MORE HERE.

I for one have spent most of my life from 15 to 68 years of age cleaning up the violent "inhuman" wreckage of my early life. Today, I'm a father and a husband. One of my most treasured achievements is that both my daughter and my wife are not afraid of me, nor are our three little dogs Sumo, Bridget and Simon. I also find myself serving our military Veterans who suffer with PTSD and other issues stemming from their time in service, by attending regular Sweat lodge ceremonies with them. Since the Sweat lodge ceremony by definition gets very hot, most of what we do for them is simply show our solidarity by suffering-up in lodge right along side them to transform the painful isolation of personal suffering into the realm of the shared collective. Through ceremony we all get a chance re-acquaint ourselves with our birthright, which is our true humanity in relationship to each other and to all things.

I have been in many lodges with Veterans over the last decade and the reason I keep going back into ceremony with them is because of the way these Veteran men and women suffer-up. Of course they, like most of us, attend the Sweat lodge out of personal need, but they also do it out of love for one another. This aspect of suffering in the Sweat lodge takes many of us years to develop and understand. But from what I've seen and experienced with Veterans is that this advanced understanding is already there within each of them. It's beautiful to see and experience when it emerges, maybe it's a vision, a vision of beauty and tenderness and of what is possible when we feel and act on the connections we have with one another. The statement "We leave no man or woman behind." means so much more than the spoken words, when appreciated through the lens of the Sweat lodge where I have been blessed to witness and be affected by the manifestation of the love and commitment the words represent.

Today, my understanding of the concept "Bringing our Veterans Home" has evolved from "What we can do for them" to more of a calling out for Veterans and Civilians to respectfully come together around Veteran sacrifices and injuries. As a civilian I have learned from the Veterans that we all can participate in a version of this loving willingness to suffer on behalf of others. I believe it is critical that the Veteran perspective and wisdom on this loving form of sacrifice finds its way into the civilian population. One of the most overlooked aspects of the Veteran by both the Veterans and the Civilian populations alike is the potency and potential of the Veteran presence among us to effect positive social change. The attention of a Veteran and their encouragement for us in what ever we are doing is valuable and important. I always feel like my life is that much more worthwhile when I emerge from a lodge and see the welcoming expression of appreciation, respect and trust in the faces of those Vets I have just done lodge with. Veteran men and women have a critical role to play in our society that can change the social narratives of our culture away from selfishness and the heartless pursuit of personal gain back to a focus on the collective good. I know the Veterans hold at least one of the keys for us to get back on track. So, I for one, plan to continue attending Veteran Sweat lodges when ever possible with the purpose of... as an Elder Marine Corp Veteran I know likes to say "Simply to be a Better Friend".