The Vegas Voice 11-20

Out of This World
By: Chuck Dean / Vet 2 Vet
Have you ever wondered if there is any
meaning or purpose to the things you
saw or experienced while serving in the military
- especially in a wartime situation? I’m talking about meanings and
purposes that go beyond a few responses like duty, patriotism, or “this
is what I signed up for.”
What I’m talking about are those terribly real, yet unexplained,
experiences that go beyond the physical, leaving us with no alternative
than to question God, or some force that is bigger than us.
Questions like, “Why me, God? Why did you let me live?” are
questions with no possible answers, and there’s no reason to even look
for one, is there?
Well maybe, but I don’t think we should sell ourselves too short on
the topic. Why? Because there’s too much evidence around indicating
some significant emotional healing can take place by just checking in
with the spiritual side of things.
That is, if we’re inclined to do so.
For those interested, what is spirituality? Simply stated, it is probably
best described as a person’s personal connection to aspects of their life
that extends past their physical existence.
It is not religion, but it could be. To many, a belief in some sort of
higher power, or a devotion to a set of deeply held personal values is
considered spirituality.
So, you can see, spirituality
can easily be defined on a vast
array of personal viewpoints…
and none of them are wrong.
Some veterans may find that
their life experiences strengthen
their spirituality or faith.
Others may find that their
military experiences have caused them to rethink or question any
spirituality or religion at all. I know that after the war in Vietnam, I
developed a mantra in my heart that if there really is a God…he is
surely AWOL with all the crap going on.
It took many years to get around that, but I can say this about that:
When I did come to terms with what I now believe, and about my
personal spiritual connections, the favorable results are a product of
making some sense out of very difficult past experiences.
To keep friends, the golden rule has always been to never talk politics
or religion. Since I’m talking about spirituality and not religion here, I
think I’m safe to say that we’re still friends.
Be safe this Veterans Day. And live in peace.
Chuck Dean served as an Army paratrooper in Vietnam and
through that experience was led to address the many transitional
issues veterans struggle with. He is the author of several important
books for veterans. All can be found on Amazon at: http://www.
amazon.com/author/chuckdeanbooks
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