The Uniform
I didn’t really
know where any of this was going went I wrote it, and I still don’t, but here
it is:
If someone asked
you, “What did you do during your life”?
Would you have an answer?
What’s important is
not what the answer is, but rather, do you feel it defines you?
A random woman
might proudly reply, “I raised four beautiful children”, and she would be
complete. She would die having tasted
her own influence on the world around her.
She would have been defined.
Not everyone looks
for this definition.
Most people will
live and die never having contributed to the world around them. No matter how many rivets they weld, cars
they assemble, or products they make, most people will never incorporate any part
of their personality into the legacy of mankind. Worse, they will never care.
Sadly, a subset of
the populace, of which I consider myself a member, will lament this fact. The idea of achievement will linger
throughout our life as an elusive taste not easily described in a paragraph,
yet still a distinctive flavor of a life story.
And then there are
those, that through fate, luck, or perseverance, will have the opportunity to
define themselves.
I’m not referring to a definition of gallantry, courage, or above
average undertaking. I’m simply
referring to having done something that speaks of one’s individuality.
An artist defines
himself everyday. Though no one may ever
buy his material, he/she still creates the opportunity to reflect back on themselves
and say, “This is me, this is my vision, this is my
work.”
During Halloween
we participate in masking ourselves. We
think about what we would like to be for a night, dawn our costume, and
transform ourselves into the associated personality. Some pull the persona off better than others,
but for a brief moment, we all take a hopeful step into a temporary role of
something else… something different. And
we usually put on a costume that we think would be fun. We say, “that was the night that I was…(whatever)”
Then we return to
our own lives.
A uniform is also
a costume. It comes with its own
character. When does a policeman really
become a law enforcement officer? If he
puts on the uniform before his training is complete, has he not still transcended
into something?
The uniform brings
us closer to the personality we wish to adopt.
We become something that we associate with the badge or the title. The training becomes merely a formality.
The world is full
of uniform wearing fraternities. We join
many throughout our lives. The allure of
a fraternity is in the title. We wish to
be that person or be associated with that group of people.
I wanted to be a
doctor. I trained to be a doctor. I went to school. I learned things. Everyday I learn something new. If today I know more than yesterday, was I
less of a doctor yesterday?
At what time in my
medical school did I finally pass that critical point where I knew enough to be
called Doctor?
There wasn’t a
point.
But for me, my
defining moment was when I officially dawned that long
white coat, draped a stethoscope around my neck, and introduced myself to a
patient as their doctor. That was my
moment…I was a physician.
Now I’m wearing a
military uniform. When did I become a soldier?
I wasn’t born a
soldier. I’ve had no formal
training. I put the uniform on because
the Department of Defense told me I had to as part of my pay-back for their
medical school loan.
Yet it’s weird, I
feel like I’m a soldier.
Somehow I feel
like I’ve been defined as a soldier because I was told to put on a costume that
soldiers wear. I joined a fraternity of
young men that wear camouflage as a duty uniform. People now associate me with that group of
men.
I think this is
why there are soldiers. I don’t believe
that these young men thought to themselves that they wanted to defend their
country, fight for democracy, or free other peoples.
They wanted to be
defined.
How far are these
men willing to act out their roles? How
many will stand fast in the midst of a raging gun-battle, hold their position,
and perform their duties in the face of death, for no more of a reason than to
justify the fact that they are a US soldier?
Many…
And I think that’s
testimony to the strength of the costume.
Could it be, that
something as simple as a costume and a title could lead men willingly toward
their untimely demise? Would the same
individual performed the same feats in civilian
clothes?
We train soldiers
to be good at their jobs, but the training does not instill the desire. We bestow or encourage the desire (or rather
the obligation to live up to the title) upon the soldier by giving him the
uniform.
A subset of the
population seeks definition. One opportunity
for this definition is within the US military.
There are people in this world who are already soldiers at heart. These individuals admire and respect the
fraternity and title of a US soldier. We
give them a costume, and within it, they adopt the characteristics of the
individual it describes. To fail the
merits of the costume is to fail themselves.
And so the uniform inspires perseverance.
I think its
actually a simple equation:
The
soldier is drawn to the uniform and then the uniform creates the soldier.