| I tried to remember how old I was when I first heard | | | | ever was. It's like hooking myself up to some sort of |
| the comparison of death and taxes to reliability; I was | | | | emotional battery charger; it reminds me that the |
| unable to come up with an age, but I think I was pretty | | | | patience is well worth it. What about these various |
| young. | | | | forms of progress? |
| It's ironic that we use two universally disliked items or | | | | It's now acceptable for Marines to wear flip flops as |
| ideas (the connotation of these terms almost oozes | | | | "appropriate civilian attire." Really. In addition, just try |
| out into your lap) to describe something as being | | | | asking a 17 year old Marine if he knows what those |
| reliable. Yes, we can always count on death, and we | | | | loops on the waist of his jeans are really for! This type |
| know that there will always be taxes (politicians should | | | | of thing probably sounds very trivial to some people, |
| be a separate species from the rest of us humans). | | | | but the level of discipline that we demand of our |
| Shouldn't reliability be a positive thing? | | | | subordinates carries over into many realms other than |
| I submit that there is another item in our world that we | | | | mode of dress. This is, however, not a new concept. |
| can always count on: Change. It has been said before | | | | There is a quotation that I'm fond of using in one of the |
| that the only real constant in this world is change. A | | | | classes that I teach, and it brings things back into |
| certain politician even ran on a mere promise of | | | | perspective a bit: |
| change...What sort of person buys into that, when all | | | | "I see no hope for the future of our people if they are |
| they have to do is sit back and wait for inevitable | | | | dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly |
| changes? I like to call that the "shiny trinket effect," and | | | | all youth are reckless beyond words. When I was a |
| it works well with voters. Change is indeed a constant, | | | | boy, we were taught to be discrete and respectful of |
| and it isn't always good. | | | | elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise and |
| I have a friend that joined the Marine Corps a few | | | | impatient of restraint." |
| years before I did, and left active duty as a Sergeant. | | | | This quotation is not nearly as effective if you are |
| When talking to him one time, I mentioned what an | | | | unaware of when it was originally stated. This was |
| interesting twist of fate it would be if he had stayed in | | | | first penned by Hesiod (often considered the father of |
| and I ended up working for him in some capacity. Not | | | | Greek didactic poetry) in approximately 700 B.C. See? |
| that he works for me, but our roles would probably be | | | | Nothing new here. |
| much different if he had become my First Sergeant, or | | | | Every generation of Marine eventually reaches a level |
| Sergeant Major. It then dawned on me that his | | | | of maturity and wisdom that they feel grants them |
| departure from our Corps may have been a good | | | | inclusion in an elite club: "Old Corps." How many retired |
| thing, because he wouldn't like the changes that have | | | | Marines out there (or those that are no longer on |
| taken place. It's odd that one of the more prominent | | | | active duty) have said the words, "When I came in the |
| challenges that a career Marine faces is being patient | | | | Corps...?" Yes; I know--We can't boil water in our |
| enough to put up with "progress." | | | | helmets like you could. Noted. |
| I have often said to peers and subordinates that the | | | | My point is simple: Change will always happen, and we |
| job of the Corps continues to get more difficult as | | | | can't do much about it. Luckily, we have the wisdom to |
| society continues down its path of degradation. As the | | | | usually hang onto those things that we know we |
| morals and standards of our youth (and even adults) | | | | should not change. Today's young Marines have the |
| decline, the standards of the Corps remain the same. | | | | same fighting spirit, drive to succeed, and esprit de |
| Our job of bringing young adults to our way of thinking, | | | | corps that any previous generation had. I know that |
| nurturing strong morals, and enforcing higher standards, | | | | when I hang up my cover for the last time, I'll be |
| gets harder every day. I often wonder if it's all really | | | | passing the baton to an equally talented (even more |
| worth it, and then I see a young Lance Corporal or | | | | so in many ways) and capable Corps of warriors. |
| PFC that is just as excited about being a Marine as I | | | | Death and taxes indeed... |