Livyjr has a stream called thoughts of a veteran. Although I have never gone to war; I do feel as if life has placed me in battles waging war on my emotions, grief, loss, health, age. Sometimes winning and enjoying success, love life and the birth of my children. And then fighting for their success and health as they grew.
I thought we should have a stream called thoughts of a veteran of Life.

As the students at VA Tech and their families go through their tragedy I know that time will never take it completely away.
They will learn to cope but have been changed for the rest of their lives. So many times in my life at their age I screamed with my country and cried tears of helplessness when we lost John Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. When friends and neighbors were sent or not sent to Vietnam. When the national guard shot four students on the campus of Kent State, These were the big things which defined my generation but there was more.
There were global, national, state, city, town ,neighborhood and family tragedies that created inner battles to find peace and joy in our lives.

I guess if we have learned anything, feel touched by the week, are healing or reaching out for help can we say to each other" this is what happened, this is how I survived and this is what I learned.

So many walking wounded. I am marching in that procession, but I cannot conceive of the strength you and others have shown in the face of much greater loss than my own. I try to absorb that courage, by listening.

I'm not claiming any particular courage, but, in the spirit of your thread, I'd like to celebrate the fact that April 19th, 2007 is the third anniversary of my daughter's sobriety. Pretty much from the time when she was 13, when she was kicked out of the eighth grade for possession of pot on school grounds (and this was just the beginning), until she had the strength to choose rehab when she was 21, our family was fair buffeted.

Now she has gone from being a high school dropout to a junior in college. Guess what's she majoring in? Psychology. She is also self-supporting and is hoping to buy her own place in the near future.

Learn to fight the "fight of no-fight"!

Perhaps one of the most difficult things that there can ever be for a simple human being to master!

And a veteran is just someone who has ended up seeing **** that he or she wishes never happened, but did ....

And since it did, and has, the thing is to "get beyond"!

Situations have "gravity" just as do stars and planets and moons, and we must always beware lest our little "ships" that carry us through life become trapped forever in those "gravity fields", going round and round, never to escape .....

And so ...

"Life", in general, seems to be full of "things" that did happen ....

Or so "we" think, anyway ....

And then ...

It is also full of things that didn't happen ....

Or so we also think ....

So ...

What to make of it then ....

And perhaps how ...

And so ...

I suppose it could be said that I am a "many are called, few are chosen" type of person, myself ....

Which is to say that out of the Bible, that is what I think about .....

Why would he say that?

"Many are called, few are chosen ..."

And why is that?

Why are only few chosen?

What can he mean by that?

And who does the excluding?

And in the end ....

I think everyone is actually "called" .....

But only few are actually "chosen", as it were ....

Because everybody else excludes themselves out ....

"Oh, no, I couldn't possibly do that ..."

And so it goes .....

"Warriorship" does not refer to making war on others.

Aggression is the source of our problems, not the solution.

The key to "warriorship" is not being afraid of who you are.

- Chogyam Trungpa

When we are afraid of ourselves ....

And afraid of the seeming threat ....

The world presents ....

Then we become extremely selfish!

We want to build our own little nests, our own cocoons ....

So that we can live by ourselves in a secure way!

But we can be much more brave than that!

We must try to think beyond our homes ....

Beyond the fire burning in the fireplace ....

Beyond sending our children to school ....

Or getting to work in the morning!

We must try to think ....

How we ....

Can help this world!

If we don't help ....

Nobody will!

- Chogyam Trungpa

"For others to approve me is easy!"

"For me to approve myself is hard!"

- Yuan-cheng (ca.1570's-1620's)

While everyone has a responsibility to help the world ...

We can create additional chaos ....

If we try to impose ...

Our ideas ...

Or our help ....

Upon others ....

- Chogyam Trungpa

If ....

We are willing to take an unbiased look ...

We will find that ....

In spite of all our problems ...

And confusion ...

All our emotional and psychological ups and downs ....

There is something ...

Basically good ...

About our existence ...

As human beings!

Unless we can discover ...

That "ground of goodness" ...

In our own lives ...

We cannot hope ....

To improve ....

The lives ...

Of others!

If we are simply miserable ...

And wretched beings ...

How can we possibly imagine ..

Let alone realize ...

An enlightened society?

- Chogyam Trungpa

Discovering real goodness ...

Comes from ...

Appreciating ....

Very simple experiences!

We are not talking about ....

How good it feels ....

To make a million dollars ....

Or finally graduate from college ....

Or buy a new house!

But we are speaking here ...

Of the basic goodness ....

Of being alive!

Which does not depend ....

On our accomplishments ....

Or fulfilling our desires!

We experience ....

Glimpses ....

Of goodness ....

All the time ....

BUT ...

We often fail ....

To acknowledge them!

- Chogyam Trungpa

We can actually ....

Cure ourselves ....

Of depression ....

IF ....

We recognize ....

That ....

The world we have ...

Is good!

- Chogyam Trungpa

It is not just an arbitrary idea ....

That the world is good ....

But it is good ....

Because we can experience its goodness!

We can experience our world ....

As healthy and straightforward ....

Direct and real ....

Because our basic nature ...

Is to go along ....

With the goodness ....

Of situations!

- Chogyam Trungpa

But then, there is still a question!

You might have made ...

A genuine connnection ....

To your world ...

Catching a glimpse ...

Of sunshine ...

Seeing bright colors ...

Hearing good music ...

Eating good food ....

Or whatever it may be!

But ...

How does ....

A glimpse ...

Of goodness ...

Relate ....

With on-going experience?

- Chogyam Trungpa

The discovery ....

Of basic goodness ....

Is not ....

A religious experience, particularly!

Rather ....

It is the realization ...

That we can ....

Directly ...

Experience ....

And work ...

With reality ....

The real world ....

That we are in!

Experiencing ...

The basic goodness ....

Of our lives ....

Makes us feel ....

That we are intelligent ....

And decent people ....

And ....

That the world ....

Is not a threat!

- Chogyam Trungpa

The essence ..

Of warriorship ...

Or the essence ....

Of human bravery ....

Is refusing ....

To give up ...

On anyone ....

Or anything!

We ...

Can never say ...

That we are simply ...

Falling to pieces ....

Or that anyone else is ...

And ...

We can never ...

Say that ....

About the world, either!

- Chogyam Trungpa

IF ....

We want to help the world ....

We ...

Have to make ....

A personal journey!

WE ....

Can't simply theorize ....

Or speculate ....

About ...

OUR destination!

SO ....

It is up to each of us ....

Individually ...

To find ...

The meaning ...

Of enlightened society ....

And how ....

It can ...

Be realized!

- Chogyam Trungpa

A great deal ...

Of chaos in the world ....

Occurs ...

Because people ...

Don't appreciate ....

Themselves!

Having never developed ....

Sympathy ...

Or gentleness ....

Towards themselves ....

They ...

Cannot experience ...

Harmony ....

Or peace ...

Within themselves ....

And therefore ...

What they project ....

To others ....

Is also ...

Inharmonious ....

And confused!

- Chogyam Trungpa

We ...

Have to accept ....

Personal responsibility ....

For uplifting ....

OUR lives!

- Chogyam Trungpa

As human beings, we have a working basis within ourselves that allows us to uplift our state of existence and cheer up fully.

That working basis is always available to us.

We have a mind and a body, which are very precious to us.

Because we have a mind and body, we can comprehend this world!

Existence is wonderful and precious.

We don't know how long we will live, so while we have our life, why not make use of it?

Before we even make use of it, why don't we appreciate it?

- Chogyam Trungpa

Knowing how ...

To put aside ...

Personal priorities ....

In order to ....

Fulfill ....

The demands of the time ....

Is among ...

The greatest of skills!

- Deng, Ming-Dao