Carry On, Soldier

It’s tough out there. Name-calling, divisiveness, and hate continue to pollute an already fragile atmosphere, amplified by social media. Sensitive people suffer, and the fragile struggle to survive.

I recently finished writing a story for another publication about a young boy committing suicide. It was painful to write, and I think I absorbed some of the ambient feelings surrounding the subject. Several articles in Havok touched on pain, suffering, and suicide, showing that we care—and people care.

I asked the editor of the literary journal if she could add the following remarks to follow my story. I’m sharing them here:

Everyone is important—very, very important.

We’re here for a reason. I’m still looking for mine at 83! So try to have some fun while you’re searching. I think it’s the seeking that counts.

Please reach out if you’re hurting: family, friends, professionals, 988 – Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, even me.

Be aware that there’s more negativity now than ever before, and it’s amplified by social media.

Every little kindness counts and counteracts negativity. Smile for yourself and others, pick up litter—both are small acts with BIG consequences.

Name-calling hurts. Bullying is bad.

And remember #1: You count—both for yourself and for me!

There will always be good to balance the bad and happiness to push back sadness.

I wrote another story, a fun one, to balance the first. But here, I’ll just soldier on with a few more reflections.

You can learn from everyone. Decades ago, I was moaning to my rabbi about how tough life was. He said we all have our own backpacks in life where we carry our burdens, worries, and challenges. I have mine; he has his. If we switched backpacks, we’d each be crushed. Fine—or not fine—I shrugged.

Fast forward to now. Recently, I reflected on a commandment in the Bible: if you see a person leading a donkey struggling under a heavy load, it’s your duty to help both the person and the donkey. It struck me: the load is like our backpacks. While you may not be able to take on someone else’s entire load, removing an item or two can help. The load can be readjusted, or the item “sold,” giving everyone a chance to catch their breath. Makes sense to me.

At an even deeper level, the commentary says you must help, even if the person leading the donkey is your worst enemy. It’s a reminder that this can be a way to bring peace into the world. And now I’m thinking: how often are we our own worst enemies?

Memories and pains are heavy loads. We all need help unloading them, getting them out of our backpacks and off our backs. There’s no shame in reaching out. There are hands and hearts waiting to help. Want to know why? See #1 above. Trust me—you are very important to me, and I’m selfish!

And don’t forget #5: Random acts of kindness affirm both you and others.

This is the good fight, and it’s worth fighting.

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Ken was a Professor of Mathematics, a ceramicist, a welder, and an IBMer until downsized in 2000. He taught yoga until COVID-19 decided otherwise. He continues writing, living with his wife and beagle in Shorewood, Wisconsin. He enjoys chamber music and mysteries. He’s a homebrewer and runs whitewater rivers. Ken is a writer and his literary works can be found at https://www.kmkbooks.com/

He welcomes feedback on his articles and can be reached at havokjournal@havokmedia.com.

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.