A lengthy diatribe to follow, but all in tribute to you:
First, your posting of the Gettysburg address was a great inspiration for me to apply in all my personal relationships. Indeed, to remember in all my daily affairs with humilty and gratitude. As a Canadian, for me that speech has nothing to do with dying for your country, and everything to do with standing up for your beliefs.
Personally, I choose to believe that the majority of men and women who choose to serve, and if necessary, die for what they believe in, on some level understand that regardless of the outcome for their own lives, their valiance has indeed served a larger purpose. A purpose that is by no means lost on generations to come. Rather, it is fully assimilated into the very fabric of humanity by our children, and our childrens children forever thereafter. To what end? Let's call it Awareness. Transcension of duality. Divine consciousness. Harmony of thought and action. Or maybe just...
Peace.
And so we think globally and act locally. We learn how to be at peace with ourselves, first. As Antoine De St. Exupery wrote in The Little Prince: "It is a question of discipline. First we must tend to our own needs, then we must tend to the needs of our planet."
We can never know the full impact or scope of our individual words and actions. We cannot know who may benefit from the lessons we have learned, nor the true extent and value of the example we have set. For example, even if I tell you outright, you really have no idea how grateful I am for things you have written on these boards - and its not so much the things you say, its the knowledge that such wisdom can only come from the experience of your actions. My words here, like at Gettysburg, are nothing compared to your actions.
I've heard it said that experience is what we get when we didn't get what we wanted. Instead of our desired outcome, what we have instead is the simple satisfaction of knowing a job well done. Knowing we acted in alignment with a true and noble purpose.
For what its worth, no matter where you go from here, I just want to thank you again for your impeccable standards, insight and leadership. And to congratulate you on a job well done.
Bravo.
Now here's the only other word I can add that might be of any use to you:
"NEXT!"
Let me know next time you want some company in Vegas. Maybe I'll find my soulmate dancing there as well.
