The cause doesn't have to be righteous and battle doesn't have to be winnable; but over and over again throughout history, men have chosen to die in battle with their friends rather than to flee on their own and survive.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the idea of loyalty and bravery, emphasizing the value of standing with friends even in the face of certain defeat.
Sebastian Junger's quote reflects on the profound bond of friendship and loyalty in times of adversity. It suggests that throughout history, individuals have often chosen to fight alongside their comrades rather than abandon them for self-preservation. This choice underscores a fundamental aspect of human nature, where the connections shared with others can motivate individuals to act courageously, even when the outcomes seem bleak. The quote invites contemplation of the values of camaraderie and sacrifice in the context of battle and beyond.
In practice
In a speech honoring veterans, one could use this quote to illustrate the deep bonds formed in military service.
The Army might screw you and your girlfriend might dump you and the enemy might kill you, but the shared commitment to safeguard one another’s lives is unnegotiable and only deepens with time. The willingness to die for another person is a form of love that even religions fail to inspire, and the experience of it changes a person profoundly.
When you're scared, you're still hanging on to life. When you're ready to die, you let it go. A sort of emptying out occurs, a giving up on the world that seems oddly familiar even if you've never done it before.
Maybe the ultimate wound is the one that makes you miss the war you got it in.
It's fun to have money, but the more money I get, the less interesting it becomes. If you don't have very much, you have to think about it. If you are starving, you become interested in food. If you are struggling to pay the bills, money becomes tragically important.
In some ways, risk-taking is the ultimate act of self-indulgence , an obscene insult to the preciousness of life. And yet, how can one dismiss something that persists despite every reasonable theory that it shouldn't?
I decided to start a medical training program for freelancers, only freelancers. They're the ones who are doing most of the combat reporting. They're taking most of the risks. They're absorbing most of the casualties. And they're the most underserved and under-resourced of everyone in the entire news business.
Heroes are Ordinary People whose social action is Extra-Ordinary/ who ACT when others are passive, who give up EGO-centrism for SOCIO-centrism.
The worker can unionize, go out on strike; mothers are divided from each other in homes, tied to their children by compassionate bonds; our wildcat strikes have most often taken the form of physical or mental breakdown.
O friend, never strike sail to a fear!
It is very normal for people on the ground to look at somebody apparently walking in midair and thinking first that person is crazy and thinking secondly that person risks his or her life.
We've all lived through something horrific, but the strength and beauty and knowledge that we're going to win eventually is what keeps me going.
As I got older, I knew my syndrome wasn't going away. It was a hard pill to swallow. I wanted to look like everyone else and blend in, and I couldn't find a way to make that happen. I couldn't blame the doctors or my parents, so I blamed myself.
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