I was talking about the incident that happened when I lashed out on my underclass. That wasn't really the whole point but my realization was brought about by that incident. I realized that unknowingly we have forgotten some important things that we learned. Here in PMA it is easy to think about persistence, perseverance and patience and dwell on this traits when we are plebes. We try our best to persevere at everything, put patience into what we do. I think everyone who had been to plebehood will agree with me that it is the abundance of this things that has enabled each of us to overcome the challenges of being the lowest mammal in the Academy. But then as we move up in rank, we mature to bigger responsibilities, we seem to forget the value of the very foundations of being victorious over plebehood. In doing our jobs, I think this also applies to officers or even those who are not cadets, we have forgotten to live by these things just because we had the luxury of another option. Let me illustrate this point. As plebes we are told that our job is to follow orders. We do this even if sometimes it takes a lot to follow these orders. We endure the endless exercises, ignore the mental fatigue and go on regardless of what we feel, whether good or bad. Later on, as upperclassmen, we are told that one of our responsibilities is to train our underclassmen, especially the plebes. As plebes, when it seems that the situation is hopeless, we try again, and again and again. We never cease to try because we know that we do not have the choice. As upperclassmen, the scenario becomes different. When the situation seems hopeless (just like the one with my plebe), we try again, again and again and then we give up. We accept that the plebe can not be taught. That acceptance is despite of the knowledge that the plebe we are referring to passed a battery of exams that not many can hurdle before he arrived at PMA. The thing with this second scenario we do have a choice. A plebe who can not do what is required of him will try harder because he knows that he will get punished. On the other hand, an upperclass cadet can just quit because he will never be punished (maybe to a certain extent but not something that will really force him to try harder). This is also true even to non cadets. When we first apply for jobs that we like, we will do whatever it takes. But later on when we have moved up we accept that some things can not be done. I am not saying though that everything can be done, what I am saying is we tend to easily give up when we have the luxury of choice.
My point is, it is a disgusting reality. In a world where there are so many choices people would rather quit that persevere. They would rather accept defeat than try some more. The irony of it all is that it all happens when we have choices. When we have the luxury of choice we forget the virtues of perseverance and patience. This is disgusting because we only practice these virtues when we do not have the choice. I would like to believe that this is precisely the reason why the world is just so corrupt. The world has instead made all the options to everyone, gave access to all this things eventually causing the decline of peoples appreciation to important virtues that all of us should live by.....
I'm running out of time again... to be continued...
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