“To generalize about war is like generalizing about peace. Almost everything is true. Almost nothing is true. At its core, perhaps, war is just another name for death, and yet any soldier will tell you, if he tells the truth, that proximity to death brings with it a corresponding proximity to life” (O’Brien, 77)
This quote in the The Things They Carried really caught my attention. The first line of the quote still confuses me days after I have thought about what it could mean. The second part I believe is a true emotion that soldiers do have while on the battlefront. Preparing for war, although I have not experienced it, must be the biggest emotional test of one’s life. You can hold it together, or you can break. Be intimidated by the duty of putting your life on the line for the good of your country, or embrace it and fulfill that duty wholeheartedly. To the general population, going to war, especially Vietnam is way to move on from this world we live in. However, for a soldier who witnesses the death of another on the battlefield or just the pure adrenaline of literally fighting for your life, now has the ability to look back and honestly understand the value of life. This emotion is phrased perfectly by O’ Brien, “that proximity to death brings with it a corresponding proximity to life”. When you return to that tent at night, and pull the sleeping back over your head, you realize the value of breath, warmth, and life. The thought keeps floating through your head, why wasn’t that me who took the bullet today?
I think we unfairly characterize veterans. Whenever veterans are discussed, it seems as if a majority of the conversations are about the memories and thoughts they have that they must cope with every day. Soldiers do not only return home with the emotional and physical burdens they carry, they return home with a stronger, more genuine appreciation for the simple things in life. Perhaps they return home stronger and more complete of a being then we are, after having been living on the edge for months at a time. This gratefulness of life is the fine print of war, the part of the experience that nobody can witness as passionately as a war veteran.
I really like the quote you chose to open your post with, especially the part about "proximity to life"--what an interesting concept, to be closer to life. Whether true or not, O'Brien's story certainly contains some priceless ideas that can be transferred even to our daily lives. On or off the battlefield, this war story leaves us with the lesson that life is more valuable than we know. It is unfortunate that "proximity to death" is the only way we can ever genuinely understand that.
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