McCain was told of what happened by columbia’s president as he flew out of columbia. likely the pilot and navagator of McCain’s plane were in their 40-50-s. Likely the pilots of the helicopter mission were under 30. but that’s just my wag.
when I was in my teens and twenties I used to love to ride roller coasters. I discovered the secret of surviving and even enjoying roller coasters you see. when you’re at the top of the roller coaster–you stare at the place at the bottom where you know your guts are going to fall out–and you stay focused on that spot all the way down. that way nothing is unexpected. the unknown is known and expected all the way down. but there is this. I had faith that i would pull out at the last and roll up into the wild blue upstairs.
nice parable.
however, a couple summers ago after I had crossed 50– I went on a tame ride at disneyland expecting to enjoy a taste of the old adreneline. I didn’t. In fact, I thought it was pure torture. I was ready to confess.
when McCain was young he was tortured and now he is opposed to all torture including water boarding. I wonder about that. because water boarding is terrifying but its not fatal and its not disfiguring. I’m not even sure it is painful–but rather suffocating.
no matter. mccain’s word on the matter is far more weighty than anything I could utter.
people mis underestimate how physically tough young people are. real warriors are especially tough. they are meant for physically tough adrenalin soaked situations. (I used to joke that adrenaline was good way to dilute the testosterone–and I was no warrior)
older men are best engaged in something else because the true bushido doesn’t carry into old age–any more than the system’s tolerance for adrenaline. the guy who was head of security in his 50′s at the world trade center on 9/11 was known from his youth as the greatest of great warriors. he complained to his friend that it is not the way of warriors to get old. he felt honor bound to go up into the world trade center to try to pull out the last of his people. but it was also a good death for a warrior. the beautiful thing mentioned by the spartans in the recent movie about thermopolye. these are the extreme exceptions where men get a chance to have their deaths mean something as virile as their lives.
My dad was no great warrior. he drove an ambulance in WWII in the pacific war. He did his bit. when my dad died at 86 his grave was surrounded by his middle aged children (and their children) the 21 gun salute reminded us of the virility and vigor of the old man’s youth. none of his children will ever live as full a life as he did.
leadership for which old men are admired has something to do with creating a path toward life liberty and the pursuit of happiness that others can follow and not just the warriors but everyone.
however some warriors do make the change. in fact most do. the wars in iraq and afghanistan will produce some interesting and maybe even great leaders.
The Peter Principle is the principle that “In a Hierarchy Every Employee Tends to Rise to His Level of Incompetence.” There is a hierarchy of ideas. I have scaled from a side which I am unfamiliar with. I have just pushed my thoughts to my own level of incompetance.
Except there is this. Christians are constantly exhorted to live in such a way that if God calls us home we will be fully prepared to meet our maker in any situation.
Most Christians barely grasp how bold and bushido warlike and beautiful this is. Yuck. I feel like an ugly duck.
