"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or the other of these destinations . . . . There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations — these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit — immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.  This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of the kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously--no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinners--no mere tolerance, or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses."

-The Weight of Glory, C. S. Lewis

But I must note- I find you people much more blessed than any sacrament!  Jesus, Himself, is one thing.  Bread and wine symbolic of God's organic make-up is another...

His Peace,
Jake

Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Here I am at my assigned US Army base outside of Mosul, Iraq. The place is very well developed, having seen years of service as a platform for coalition forces' operations. The creature comforts are greatly more plentiful than I expected, and extremely more than what we trained for. A reasonably quick internet connection (hardline or wireless) is almost always available and only costs about $80. Local merchants have permanent shops on base, in one of which I bought a decent acoustic guitar. Phones are in multiple places, if you're willing to pay a mere $25 for 10 hours. The dining facility is incredible... way better than any I ever had on any stateside base (I've worked at 6 of them.) My room is in a building (not a tent), is quite spacious, and is shared with an excellent roommate (Luke). As far as location goes, it's about a 30-foot walk from my building's front door to that of my clinic. Yeah, it's pretty easy to get settled and happy here. This could be problematic.

The constant gunfire outside the base and the loss of life (we've lost a guy after being here less than 2 weeks), are staunch reminders that this is a war (and that there's no telling how many civilians are dying because of it.) Being here is bizarre. I'm glad to be here to offer medical aid to anyone in need, but I despise the military through which I am able to offer it. I want to rip off my uniform and melt my weapon down. I decided to submit to the long official processing of applying for conscientious objection, to work with the system as much as possible instead of taking every opportunity possible to protest its existence (which could easily lead me to jail, which could be a very important experience). So I'm limbo... but even when the process is over, and if I succeed and they relieve me of my rifle, I'll still be uneasy remaining such a close affiliate of the military. Alas... compromise, that which is so essential for effect and yet so unsatisfying as an end. I wonder what my role will be in war protest when I'm no longer on contract to serve the military... taxes will perhaps be my longest lever.

Anyway, I'm not much doing any treatment for patients, because I myself am a patient! I've already got a case of pneumonia. A lot of people have died of pneumonia, especially before modern medicine. What a gift it is to live in this age.

I'm finally here in Kuwait!  It's pretty relaxed here, and I don't have much to do for the few days while I wait for the rest of my unit to arrive.  The dining facility here is actually better than those at Fort Stewart...  On the plane ride here, we stopped in Ireland for a few hours.  It was nice to hear a bit of the accents.  It would be nicer to have a prolonged stay there, at some point.  I probably won't post again for a few weeks, when I get into Iraq.

God Bless the Reader,
Jake

“Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.”

“The knowledge of God without that of man's misery causes pride. The knowledge of man's misery without that of God causes despair. The knowledge of Jesus Christ constitutes the middle course, because in Him we find both God and our misery.”

“The supreme function of reason is to show man that some things are beyond reason”

-Blaise Pascal

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“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

"As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”

-Nelson Mandela

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“I was no chief and never had been, but because I had been more deeply wronged than others, this honor was conferred upon me, and I resolved to prove worthy of the trust.”

-Geronimo

 Well. it looks like my flight to Kuwait will be next week.  There my unit will acclimatize, undergo some routine training, and prepare for the drive northward through most of Iraq, to our assigned base.  Mine is a medical company, so, hopefully, we won't have much work to do... but we probably will, especially towards the end of the 12-month deployment.  One of our big responsibilities will be to pack the base up and close her down as we leave.  I'm very excited about that!

I finally turned in my packet for non-combatant status on Thursday.  So, I will not be leaving this country with a weapon to my name, save for one utility knife and one rescue tool.  I bought the full version of Rosetta Stone Arabic, but my CD drive has a CD stuck in it, so I am going to try to buy an external DVD-writer to do the trick.

It will be interesting to see what music I crave in the desert, so I'll be resetting my iTunes playlist.  Therefore, here's my 25 Most Played Songs since I don't know how long ago...

1st at a play count of 47 is... Don't Be Afraid performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, composed by Nobuo Uematsu, from the album 20020220: Music from Final Fantasy

Tied for 2nd at a play count of 40 are... Virgin and Child by Iona, from the album Book of Kells
and... The Kiss by Trevor Jones, from The Last of the Mohicans Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

4th at a play count of 39 is... Terra's Theme performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, composed by Nobuo Uematsu, from the album 20020220: Music from Final Fantasy

Tied for 5th at a play count of 38 are... Inside My Heart by Iona, from the album Journey Into the Morn
and... Yahweh by U2, from the album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

Tied for 7th at a play count of 36 are... Irish Day by Iona, from the album Journey Into the Morn
and... Elk Hunt by Trevor Jones, from The Last of the Mohicans Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
and... The Glade Part II by Trevor Jones, from The Last of the Mohicans Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Tied for 10th at a play count of 35 are... The River by Anathallo, from the album Canopy Glow
and... Main Title by Trevor Jones, from The Last of the Mohicans Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

12th place at a play count of 34 is... Calling Out Your Name by Rich Mullins, from the album The World As Best As I Can Remember It, Vol. 1

13th place at a play count of 33 is... All the First Pages by Anathallo, from the album Canopy Glow

14th place at a play count of 32 is... Crumbs from Your Table by U2, from the album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

Tied for 15th at a play count of 31 are... Luke - The Calf by Iona, from the album Book of Kells
and... Aeris' Theme performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, composed by Nobuo Uematsu, from the album 20020220: Music from Final Fantasy

17th place at a play count of 30 is... Cora by Randy Edelman, from The Last of the Mohicans Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

18th place at a play count of 29 is... Fort Battle by Trevor Jones, from The Last of the Mohicans Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

19th place at a play count of 27 is... Heaven's Bright Sun by Iona, from the album Journey Into the Morn

20th place at a play count of 26 is... CIty of Blinding Lights by U2, from the album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

Tied for 21st place at a play count of 25 are... Waiting by Rich Mullins, from the album The World As Best As I Can Remember It, Vol. 2
and... Promontory by Trevor Jones, from The Last of the Mohicans Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Tied for 23rd place at a play count of 24 are... Wisdom by Iona, from the album Journey Into the Morn
and... Munro's Office/ Stockade by Trevor Jones, from The Last of the Mohicans Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
and... Theme of Love performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, composed by Nobuo Uematsu, from the album 20020220: Music from Final Fantasy

I'm realizing more and more how very little I comprehend all there is to be grateful for.  The very ability to say a mere "thank you," and to be able to comprehend the act, to some small extent, is itself a gift beyond mortal understanding.

I embrace fantasy so long as it serves reality.  At the moment it betrays it, it itself is to be betrayed.