value

 Being in the service will teach you one thing; you can be replaced. Rather you will be replaced. It comes as no surprise really, we all know that already. The struggle for all of us is to remain relevant. Well relevant, or at least needed for something. It starts in school doesn't it? Those with the best grades rise to the top, a hierarchy is formed. The scholars are followed by the athletes. The athletes enjoy more popularity. I believe that is because we can all participate in sports, so in our minds we stand a chance anyway. You can't get " smarter " by practicing, either you are or you're not! That's the reality of it. After the athletes there is everyone else. All the little sub-groups, the other kids. 

 When I was growing up I stayed with the same kids all throughout my school years. That isn't true for some when their parents move or whatever. Looking back I have to say the hierarchy established in grade school survived pretty much unchanged all the way to graduation day. I suppose that is for a simple reason, the smart kids stayed smart, the athletic remained athletic and the rest of us remained. The dynamic remained unchanged for the most part. Yes there were subtle changes, additions and deletions, but pretty much the same. I believe we all grew used to our roles, accepting our position, believing change would come with graduation. Well, it does. The situation changes, but in my experience we don't, not very much anyway. 

 As I said in the service you quickly learn that you can and will be replaced. It is a constant thing, people coming and going. I can't speak for the other branches but in the Navy three years is about as long as you stay in one place. Well at least that is the way it was for me. You enter the group with a rank on your arm. Think about that, you are ranked from the lowest to the highest. That's how you begin. Often when you advance in rank you are moved to another location. That location may just be a different position in the same command, or a new command altogether. Each time you have to reestablish your position in the group. Yes you are ranked and I may out rank you but that doesn't mean I'm more popular. And no matter what else, popularity controls our happiness for the most part. The reason it has been said, no man is an island, entire of himself. But the meaning of that phrase has changed over the years. John Donne was actually pointing out that each of play an integral role in the universe. We are all part of the whole. Of course that can be taken to mean, we can't exist without the rest, and that is what I'm thinking. We do need the others. The thing to understand is, it really doesn't matter who the others are. You can be replaced. They can be replaced. The fact of the matter is, we will all be replaced sooner or later. 

 All of that leaves us to question our value. Popularity can be a measure of that. I would think if you are a widely popular person, like a celebrity of some kind, you would develop am attitude of indispensable value. I've known a few people that displayed that attitude in their profession. They genuinely believed they were indispensable. I wonder how they felt when it was revealed to them that they are not. I wonder if they ever realized that? I've heard that it is a matter of attitude. I can see that. But the problem is one of support. That's where the popularity part enters the picture. And if not popularity, recognition. I can stand being unpopular, but to go unrecognized is far more difficult. I'm thinking that may part of the reason the military gives " awards. " Morale is an integral part of any fighting force, and recognition is important to that. Consider the popularity of saying. " thank you for your service " that is prevalent now. What is that all about? Extending a measure of recognition is the short answer. It's a lot deeper than that if you give it some thought. 

 After all of this we are left questioning our value. We are not indispensable, but we are integral to the moment. Our value is right now. We are here, in this moment, to accomplish a task. That task may be nothing more than to breathe. The thing is, we should be our best self all the time. That is our value. It's not an easy task and we will all fall short of the mark at times. It's alright. I don't believe we are here for just one purpose, one and done. No, life is a series of moments, a series of actions. We are all a piece of a larger design. Is any one piece more important than the next? No, because if it were, it would be something less. And that is our value, your value, without you, the world would be less. Yes some parts are more visible, more recognized, but all are vital. It's the same as everything else, it's all in the details. Life is in the details.