Doing Our Part

While some nations require compulsory military service from all of its citizens, male and female alike, the United States has the luxury of using an all-volunteer force, which, in general, makes for more productive and safer troops. As I reflected on what a privilege this is, it occurred to me that the downside of a voluntary force is that it is very easy for the average citizen to forget how important it is to maintain that attitude of service to country and countrymen. When you do not regularly and personally encounter the harshness of the world outside your country, it is easy to loose sight of how great your country really is.

I personally believe that a lot of the aversion to war and the cycle of self-blame in which many Western nations get caught up is a psychological crutch to avoid dealing with the complicated realities of human nature, of good and evil, and of what it means to be a part of and benefit from the protections of a nation-state. The spread of information through technology has also numbed us to many images and events that would otherwise seem startling and motivating. I did, however, run across some interesting numbers today that startled me:

“[T]oday the United States spends much more on leisure pursuits than on national defense. Every year Americans shell out $589 billion on entertainment and dining out, and $543 billion on leisure travel. Meanwhile, our government invests $537 billion on national defense. As a percentage of our gross domestic product (about 4 percent today), that’s far less than we’ve spent in past wars.” (full story here)

After reading this, I thought about my own household budget and what these numbers mean in that context. Essentially, for the cost of the occasional movie and 2-3 meals a week at our favorite local restaurant, I am free. I am safe. YTP child is safe.

That we have people in our country that leave their own families in order to allow us to live in such safety and security for the price of a few meals is amazing. YTP Family has committed this Memorial Day to doing more for our troops and their families. We hope you will too.