My Own Little World

As for what seems to be the case with a lot of people, I live in my own little world. It works for me. I have my goals, my hopes, my dreams, and the life that I have grown to know and love here in the United States. 

When I look outside of this bubble I seem to be in I don't particularly like what I hear. Sometimes the things I hear inspire me and I want to help in any way I can. However, then my own personal goals get in the way and that willingness to help better the world at large gets pushed aside.  

I could not honestly say I feel directly connected to the war in any way. Yes I am aware of the fact that the war impacts everyone's life, however it has not yet affected me in a way that I felt I needed to change the way I am living on a day to day basis. And it wasn't until very recently that I felt the true impact of what it means to be headed over into what I can only describe as a possible death sentence.

As I was sitting in the airport waiting for my flight to Florida, I had a little more then an hour of time to kill. My father, my sister, and I decided to get something to eat while we waited. We were seated  promptly in the airport's Outback. Not long after being seated, the table next to us was filled with six men all dressed in military uniform. You could immediately pick up on the excitement of the table and my dad, being the outgoing person he is, asked them where they were headed. They all turned to answer but the man sitting closest to our table was dominate when he uttered the words "Iraq."  

Picking up on the loss of speech that my father seem to temporarily have, the soldier went on to explain that this was this second time headed back along with four of the other men. The six one, looking to be about 18 years of age, was a rookie. My father then got into conversation with the gentlemen and when my dad asked if the man had kids, the soldiers eyes started to tear with the fact that he was leaving behind his two children age 5 and 8. The only thing my  dad could say in response was "I pray to G-d you make it home alive."

The soldier said thank you and that was it. We had finished our meal and left.

Being in my only little world, I am not directly related to anyone fighting in the war. Witnessing that conversation though made the stories and all the things you hear, real. No one can believe everything they hear. But seeing that man in the airport who just left two young kids behind, that was real. The only thing I can say about whether we should be fighting this war or not is that it better be worth it.