Today’s topic is on Faith and the Most Important Minute. But first, a word in introduction.
I am trying to sell books so I have held back my blogs and podcasting even though the lies against Israel, as is axiomatic, get halfway around the world before the truth gets its boots on.
We live in a precipitous and potentially disastrous time in the history of mankind.
Me railing about the ironic standard of restraint that Israel must be held to, but not Iran (who never passed up an opportunity to bite the US’s hand and could not care less about Palestinians), not Hezbollah (whose leader threatened the US just a few days ago), and not Hamas led Palestinians (murderers and cheerleaders of butchery), well,
that double standard defies reason, morality, and justice.
For the love of God don’t listen to those equivocating the democratic, productive, and enlightened Jewish state with the complete Palestinian failure to be civilized and to work for peaceful coexistence in the Middle East. Remember that not only over 200 unarmed civilians were taken captive and are now human shields, but that over 30 American citizens were murdered on October 7th.
The garbage of Palestine being occupied is a vicious, disgraceful lie.
Bottom line for me: History may not be on the side of Jews and the nation of Israel.
But I am, and I always will be. Rak Chazak Amats. Forgive my pronunciation. Shalom.
Here’s today’s podcast, addressed to everyone but especially veterans:
The Most Important Minute of our lives—not our best minute, or our worst. Not the most noble minute, or the minute of silence that could be reluctance, or God forbid, cowardice.
Ah, but our important minute. Three such minutes, the kind we share closely or obliquely, with each other. And two paths for each.
The first important minute we all share was making the decision to take the oath. For some it was a long arc begun at the kitchen table as a child, a part of our destiny, encouraged then (as we should encourage others now) to take the risk and sign up. There are some here, maybe, who were drafted – our Vietnam veterans, the last generation to be conscripted. Heck, even Elvis got drafted. That important minute for them, I believe, may have been agonizing… yes, an important minute, especially realizing that duty sometimes is not a choice.
The second most important minute – a moment of clarity – the realization of a self-assessment. Our values, important even in the face of failure, large or small, that we as individuals, always have inherent value. Our loved ones know it. Your life is precious, please never forget that.
The sister to our innate, our inherent value, is the value of others. This important minute is the one where we take the old friend’s call even when inconvenient to us, when we know that to listen to someone struggling, hard, with demons instead of friendly angels, THAT is the most important minute, to stick with our friends, come hell or high water.
The last important minute for us today is, I think, THE MOST important minute. Our heroes who spoke tonight and the heroes here in this room, who exercised fearlessness and courage in the face of mind-numbing terror.
When they said, “What the heck I gotta do this,” and being blessed with good training, and great weapons, and damn good fortune, they prevailed. One second, with years of preparation, made that important minute count.
The brother to this heroic minute? Well, it is our last minute, before the bright light, before the bugle call.
We will not choose that minute. We don’t know when it will come. But I suspect if we live each precious minute at peace with ourselves, our loved ones, our friends, then that last minute, the most important minute of all, will be truly glorious.
Peace. Out.
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