Thank God I’m Not in Bastogne

If the title sounds vaguely familiar, it’s probably because you have watched the miniseries Band of Brothers. The series follows the heroic exploits of Easy Company through Europe during the Second World War.

The battle for Bastogne is arguably the most dramatic part of the series. Easy company found itself lost in the forest in harsh winter, low on supplies and ammunition, no air cover, constant barrage of enemy shells, no reinforcements and facing a desperate German counter-attack. Suffice to say the odds weren’t in favor of Easy Company.

The series includes recounting of events from real-life veterans of the war. I watched the series almost 5 years ago but something one of the vets (who one of the characters is based on) said has stuck with me to date.

“When the night is especially freezing (and you can ask my wife) I still say: ‘Thank God I’m not in Bastogne.‘”

Remember Bastogne

I have never been in a position as desperate as a full on combat situation but I have learned through experience that no small battles are fought in the mind.

I suppose we have all had our Bastogne moments. That time you were broke and jobless and never thought you’d ever find employment again. Maybe you lost a loved one and you thought the grief would kill you too. Maybe you fought depression and half-wished you would just quietly die in the night so the suffering would end.

Or it could be the time you second guessed yourself on everything and just couldn’t get anything right.

As much as we like to pretend that all is fine and dandy, I think everyone has been to a dark place that they never thought they would ever get out of.

Sometimes in life you can feel stuck and forget all the other times you got yourself out of an especially difficult position. It is easy to forget an old open wound across your chest once it has healed and the cicatrix has formed. You stop seeing your scar of victory and conquest in the mirror and now you whine and cry about razor bumps and paper cuts.

Sometimes it’s necessary to remember our darkest moments if only to gain some perspective. Things could get worse and often times they have.

Going back to that scary, dark place might be what you need to give you hope that you will overcome whatever you are going through right now. That place you hope never to return might be what you need to get you through this difficult patch, and remind you that you have been through worse and somehow came out the other end.

So the next time you are feeling stuck, remember Bastogne, and say to yourself;

‘Thank God I’m not in Bastogne’

 

Never Mind Certainty and Just Do It!

One of the hardest truths to accept is that there is no certainty. There are no guarantees in life. The problem is we only apply this fact when it’s convenient. There is no guarantee that I will wake up tomorrow yet I plan the next day out as if it were certain. The idea that I might not wake up tomorrow quite literally never occurs to me.

I am yet to put ‘Dying’ on my next day’s to-do list. Planning for the next day, even the next year is a small matter.

The inconsistency here is I don’t find myself applying the same level of certainty to the small things. I want to be absolutely certain that whatever I do today will count for something. I believe that this quest for certainty is the root of all procrastination.

If I had a guarantee that what I do today draws me closer to achieving my goal I would have no qualms about hauling ass and just doing it. The problem is there is no such guarantee. There are no guarantees that if I discipline myself to wake up early every morning and put in the work, something good eventually come out of it.

Uncertainty might be the reason why is so difficult to follow through on plans. It feels great planning a-b-c-d to do tomorrow. It’s even easier to dismiss the plans when the alarm goes off and it’s game time. Why? Because there is a very good chance that you could be wasting your time.

The first time I heard about the analogy of the Chinese bamboo tree was a kind of AHA! moment for me.

You see, the seed (more accurately a nut) is planted and tended for at least 5 years before you even see a shoot. You water it, fertilize it and do all the things you’re supposed to do with a plant consistently for 5 years.

There is no shoot, no sign of life, nothing. You have to trust that all the effort you are putting  is going to pay off. At the 5 year mark, the seed finally sprouts and the tree grows 80 feet in six weeks.

Sometimes I wish it were possible to fast-forward to the future. Then I can see whether the work I put in today even matters, then I can go back to the present and adjust my plans accordingly.

A Fools Errand

You need a good reason to put in the work despite the uncertainty. I suggest coming up with a good theory to protect your mind from wondering whether you are on a fool’s errand. The moment you start to seriously consider this possibility is the moment your dream begins to wither.

The best I have come with so far is this;

The only place I am truly headed is the grave. How I spend my days between now and then is a small matter in the grand scheme of things.

Meanwhile there is work to do. Take  stock of the small wins along the way to maintain your sanity. It’s what drives you when things don’t seem to be working out.

There is something to be said about waking up every day to put in work that you aren’t even sure leads anywhere. There is something noble about persisting despite the dark cloud of uncertainty hanging over your head.

You get to go to bed saying “I did the thing that was asked of me, and for that I am proud”.  This feeling cannot be had any other way, and cannot be taken from you.

Not even by failure.

Every day you get a small taste of success. Because what is success other than setting out to do something and actually accomplishing it.

Waiting for certainty is a dangerous game because you will never see a clear path to your goal. Waiting for certainty is the true fool’s errand.

To stay true to the course even when things don’t seem to be paying off takes true courage. Taking a risk to look stupid, doing the thing that you don’t want to do, now that’s what living is all about.

What’s your fool’s errand?

The Devil’s Guide to Nairobi

FAQ’s on Religion

Which is The Right Religion for Me?

Religion is not a lost charger that needs to be found. Think of a new cell phone that comes pre-installed with Android OS. Religion is very much the same thing. You come pre-installed with religion.

Count yourself lucky because you are among the chosen few who are born into the right religion. You may notice that those around you such as your parents and siblings share the same religion as you. This factor is merely a coincidence. Do not read too much into it. You are but one in a long line of chosen ones.

Can I Change Religion?

Yes. Unfortunately, some people are born to the wrong religion. Spirituality is a simply a currency that you use to get the things you want in life. If you are good for example, you get something nice in return such as a spouse, good health and lots of money.

It is the rule. It may sometimes happen that you have been good but you are still not getting the thing you want most. Such a scenario indicates that there is something fundamentally wrong with your religion and it is time to switch, preferably to one with evidence of ROI.

Should I Defend My Religion?

Defend your religion with your life. People will try to provoke you by talking about their different religious beliefs. These are your mortal enemies working in cahoots with dark forces to extinguish your religion. It is your earthly duty to defend your religion from perversion. Some of the tools that you have in your arsenal include threatening eternal damnation, making inferences to the opponents’ intellect, and if all fails; breaking down into feverish and tearful prayer.

Should I Try to Convert Others?

Apart from defending your religion from destruction, your second most important duty is to convert others to the truth. Your religion is the only true one so anyone who practices anything different is a heathen who should be saved. Some of these heathens are crafty and may try to confuse you by quoting the same religious book that you read from or by praying to the same deity that you do. Keep in mind that as long as a person does not attend your specific place of worship; he is still a lost sheep who needs saving.

How do I go About My Duty to Convert Others?

Religion reigns supreme so all you need to do is approach the lost soul and engage him in conversation. There is no right or wrong place to gather lost souls. He will drop everything he is doing because your message is the most important thing in the world. He will even appreciate the interruption.

You may notice the lost soul’s initial resistance to your message which may manifest in the form of yawning or lack of interest. This resistance is your cue to push harder. The lost soul is simply embarrassed to tell you to carry on, or is confused about his religious beliefs. Souls can always be converted; some just take a little more time than others.

How Do I Show Commitment to My Religion?

We have already covered defending your religion with your life and converting lost souls. Religion is to be worn on the sleeves. This strategy is so that anyone you encounter is not confused by your religious orientation lest they try to confuse you with small talk and impractical matters such as the state of the economy.

A great way to show commitment to your cause is to talk about it constantly. Any topic that does not specifically concern your religion is not worth discussing further. With a little practice, you can always bring the conversation around to religion regardless of where it started. Do not be frustrated when people try to talk to you about things other than your faith. They are lost souls who do not know any better.

Finally, you can show your religious valor by carrying objects that allude to your spiritual maturity and prowess such as religious texts, symbols and special clothing.

Perhaps God Was Done With Me a Long Time Ago

“God is not a cosmic bellboy for whom we can press a button to get things done” – Harry Emerson Fosdick

I am beginning to entertain the idea that maybe God isn’t like Santa after all. It’s starting to dawn on me that maybe I shouldn’t continue to sit on his lap, whisper my Christmas list in His ear and promise to be good meanwhile.

It troubles me to think that maybe God was done with me at creation. For all I know He furnished me with everything that I would need even before I knew what I needed, and He still on his seventh day, resting.

Maybe God put me in this new house that I call my body and made sure that I’d have every single thing I need to call this place home. I have gotten so wrapped up with the furniture and the lights and the plumbing and crockery that I forgot to explore the rest of the house.

Maybe it’s time to get off my knees and wade through the clutter to discover that there are parts of house that I neglected to discover. Possibly there is a basement and an attic that I never bothered to look.

I suspect that I might have to search my pockets for the keys to the basement. Of course I have to get over my fear of the dark and make my way to the depths of my house with only a torch. The lights there probably don’t work. Down in the dark and musty air I might be amazed to find boxes upon boxes of neatly wrapped presents.

House Full of Goodies

Once I dust off the boxes, therein I might find courage, persistence, love, purpose, patience and all the things that I never thought I had. The elation will be short lived as there is more house to explore. Maybe there is an attic!

I might have to stack chairs to get to the attic. Or maybe use a ladder. I might have to buy a ladder.

Anyway, once I get to the attic, I might be surprised to find yet more boxes or goodies lying there, stacked one on top of the other, gathering dust. Again, I dust off the boxes and open them to find more gifts. Good sense here, wisdom there, strategy in another box, maybe even a plan!

Everything I need to make life not just tolerable, but amazing. I might find that, after all, I do have everything that I need to call this place home.

I suspect that finding the gifts is just one part of the adventure. Next I must figure out what to do with them. I may have a brand new corkscrew but if I’m using it to change TV channels I might as well not have it.

The next part is to figure out what to use for which purpose. That part can’t be too hard. Hopefully amid the excitement I’ll take some time off to thank God for all the gifts. I won’t complain that I had to look for them myself. It would have been a lot easier if I’d gotten a map of the house, and the all gifts came with a user’s manual attached. But where is the fun in that?

For now it’s just a suspicion. Maybe it’s just my imagination; I do have a wild imagination. Anyway, I’m off to explore. I’ll let you know how it goes…