When a Soldier Comes Home

Empathy is putting ourselves in another’s shoes, feeling some of what the other feels.

Empathy is the one important attribute that makes us truly human and is the basis of our morality: Do to others what you would have others done unto you.

Psychopaths and pathological narcissists, however, all lack empathy, and psychologists and criminologists say their numbers are increasing in American society….

When a soldier comes home, he finds it hard to listen to his son whine about being bored.

…to keep a straight face when people complain about potholes.

…to be tolerant of people who complain about the hassle of getting ready for work.

…to be understanding when a co-worker complains about a bad night’s sleep.

…to be silent when people pray to God for a new car.

…to control his panic when his wife tells him he needs to drive slower.

…to be compassionate when a businessman expresses a fear of flying.

…to keep from laughing when anxious parents say they’re afraid to send their kids off to summer camp.

…to keep from ridiculing someone who complains about hot weather.

…to control his frustration when a colleague gripes about his coffee being cold.

…to remain calm when his daughter complains about having to walk the dog.

…to be civil to people who complain about their jobs.

…to just walk away when someone says they only get two weeks of vacation a year.

…to be forgiving when someone says how hard it is to have a new baby in the house.

The only thing harder than being a Soldier…

…is loving one.

H/t gysgt1

and “thank you” for your service to our country!

In June 2012, the Pentagon said the suicide rate among U.S. active-duty military personnel now eclipses the number of troops dying in battle. Suicides have increased even as the United States military has withdrawn from Iraq and stepped up efforts to provide mental health, drug and alcohol, and financial counseling services. There had been 154 suicides, a rate of nearly one each day and an 18% increase over the 130 active-duty military suicides for the same period in 2011. If that trend continues, the suicide rate for 2012 is expected to be the highest since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan more than a decade ago.

Enough! Bring our men and women home!!!

~Eowyn