I am a SEAL Motivator on the Air Force Academy and many times I notice a certain arrogance in my young future BUD/S candidates. Confidence is good, cockiness is not. Cockiness breeds an attitude of “nothing can hurt me.” It’s Ok to portray this attitude at times, but keep it in check. Even younger guys in the SEAL Teams think they are bulletproof. I can certainly remember this feeling early on in my military career as a SEAL.
When we were younger we all like to imagine as if we were immortal. A short story by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges tells of a Roman soldier, Marcus Rufus, who drinks from a “secret river that purifies men of death.” In time, though, Marcus realizes immortality wasn’t all it was cracked up to be: life without limits was life without significance. In fact, it is death itself that gives meaning to life. Marcus finds an antidote—a spring of clear water. After drinking from it, he scratches his hand on a thorn, and a drop of blood forms, signifying his restored mortality.
Like Marcus, we too sometimes despair over the decline of life and the prospect of death. We agree that death gives significance to life. Some of my current battles lately have been with my health, but every day I push forward, trying to maintain a positive outlook and doing everything I can in my power to better my health. How are you being intentional every day with overcoming the battles that you face in life whether they are mental, emotional, physical, financial, spiritual, professional, or relational?
