Older piece. Hard Words. Will offend many. "Never Trust Anyone Who Hasn’t Been Punched in the Face" by Scott Locklin
A very thought provoking essay on how likely it is that being exposed to violence is a key experience in life. I don't think that only exposure to violence can make someone strong in certain ways, but I have no doubt that it can and does make a difference in how one sees the world. Being in combat certainly changes people a great deal, and even the stress and sometimes trauma of really tough military training can do so too, perhaps not quite as effectively. I believe is is true that never having experienced real stress, real difficulties, can leave a person with a lot less understanding of reality. Being in effect a pampered and privileged person from childhood on is generally not good for the formation of real character and a common sense view of the world. A lot of the things we see going on in the West today seem to me to be due to living in a prosperous, free, and relatively safe society. Of course, getting to the bit where no score is kept in the game and every kid gets a trophy, and only positive feedback is allowed from parents, teachers, etc, sure just makes it all worse. We still have people who live closer to reality, and hopefully there are enough to keep the society healthy and able to defend itself. --Del
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