Will you chip in to support our nonprofit newsroom with a donation today? Yes, I want to support My Edmonds News!
On one of our daily walks with the family dog, my youngest asked me if there was anything that ever scared me when I served in the military. The quick answer was yes.
Even before I got to bootcamp. Even before I deployed.
I remember standing in my underwear at the MEP (Military Entry Processing) center waiting on my physical — in a long line of other half-naked guys of all shapes, sizes and colors — praying I didn’t get booted for having flat feet. I didn’t even know what that was, but that seemed to be a common disqualifier that day.
I didn’t have a back-up plan. I had received a couple college offers but I was hell-bent on becoming Maverick from Top Gun so I hadn’t entertained any of those offers. If flat feet took me out, I had some explaining to do in my friends’ circle. And for an 18-year-old — at least for me — that was one thing I was afraid to do.
Fortunately, flat feet didn’t take me out. Service to country taught me a lot about myself, others, what true leadership looks like, what positional leadership looks like, and what fear and faith look like.
There’s a saying, “money reveals character.” That also applies to trials or unprecedented circumstances, of which I would witness in the military. These times are revealing “true character.” We are witnessing some individuals we’ve elected rise to the occasion while others are not. We are witnessing social good and people rising to serve others while we are also witnessing social shaming. We are witnessing some who are embracing everything the news and elected people tell them and others who are questioning what they are being told.
Through it all, most are embracing some level of “faith and fear” from their perspective. Meaning — some have faith in their government, while some fear it. Some fear that “shelter in place” for an entire country will kill more people economically while others have faith that this is the right approach, so our health care system doesn’t get buried and more lives are saved.
Only time will tell. After all, hindsight makes an expert out of all of us.
Many are fighting economic battles, others physical and health-related battles. All of us are embracing some level of faith and fear during this uncertainty and what combats all of this is love. Not stuff. Human kindness. Respect. Curiosity in why people may think differently than you.
As my daughter and I continued our walk I shared how life will always present us with opportunities regardless of the circumstances we face. We will always have options to choose faith or fear – and sometimes at the same time.
Fear or faith? Just because we are afraid doesn’t mean we can’t have faith in our ability to navigate a challenge or problem and help others through it.
— By Mike Schindler
Well said, Mike. When this is all over we need to recognize the effort of those whose selfless efforts helped get us through this ordeal and celebrate. The water and electricity still flow, we still have food, our mail is still delivered , I still hear the sirens of our first responders, and our neighbors are still watching out for each. We have much to be thankful for.
Steve – true. We do have many reasons to be grateful. And those of us who are weathering this storm will likely need to step up even more in the coming weeks. My friend John posted this:
“The economic hit to people here in Washington can now be measured.
And it’s awful. Nearly half a million people have filed unemployment claims in less than a month. That’s 40% more than at the height of the mortgage-meltdown recession of 2008-2009. And it will get even worse in the next couple weeks.
Who’s getting hit the hardest? People in food service and restaurants (20% of claims), followed by construction workers (14.2%), health service workers (14%) and retail (12%). Who’s the least affected? Government workers, filing less than 1% of claims. An empathy gap, perhaps? Check out these charts from Kriss Sjoblom at the Washington Research Council. Hat tip to Todd Myers.”
The true question is how will you do your part and be part of co-creating a new normal? #oneteam
Thank you for your service and sharing your perspective, I needed to hear it. Your article is echoing a theme that has been impressed upon me today: that I need to focus on my faith more than fear. Thinking of my faith in the grandeur of the empty tomb helps temper my fears. Keep well.
Brian, my pleasure. It truly is a daily choice. We all have fear – courage is the ability to press on despite our fears and that is often predicated on our faith…faith in our team, faith in our support, faith in God. Fear can for sure be crippling if we allow it. Faith is empowering. And we make these choices daily on what we choose. Stay healthy, stay whole. #oneteam
Mike,
Thanks for your encouraging words. It started to get real for me as businesses were closing and kids were being kept home from school. When tension between family members started to build up as our day to day lives were being derailed, it was at that point I had to lean hard into my faith and focus not on just getting through this, but on how I was going to get through this experience and how I could help those around me as well.
On an intellectual level I know my family and I will get through the disruptions, the uncertainties, and the uncharted waters, but my daily focus now is how we are doing it.
When we emerge out on the other side (the recovery process hasn’t even started), will I be more compassionate, more patient, more grateful? Or will I get through it with more fear, more anxiety or more self-pity?
The choice is mine to make every day. And as these days of shelter in place continue, and when I stumble into the trappings of fear, will I remember to look up and return to the path of faith or not?
Rebecca, thanks for sharing. Plan of action and support network – we often talked about that in the military. And your “how” is just that…your plan. Your faith is your support network.
At the end of the day, this an emotional ride for all involved – and hopefully we come through it more compassionate and with an attitude of service above self. Stay healthy…and keep the faith.
RB, some really good points. Dealing with what will be a month or two to get to the other side will have been the easy part. The recovery part will be really difficult. 90% of the deaths are those age 60+. We currently have no strategy to protect those folks. Until we get some sort of vaccine is it expected that group to just stay locked up? These are among the “new issues” we will have to solve. Thanks for the thoughts.