Again from Claude Anshin Thomas, a lovely quote about the true power of the combat veteran's experience. For every veteran who suffers whether silently or with loud cries and tears; or who ends his or her life because they simply can't take the pain anymore (and I wish they wouldn't -- they have so much to give), here's a reflection on what their experience can really communicate:
"At the retreat Thich Nhat Hanh said to us, “You veterans are the light at the tip of the candle. You burn hot and bright. You understand deeply the nature of suffering.” He told us that the only way to heal, to transform suffering, is to stand face-to-face with suffering, to realize the intimate details of suffering and how our life in the present is affected by it. He encouraged us to talk about our experiences and told us that we deserved to be listened to, deserved to be understood. He said we represented a powerful force for healing in the world.
He also told us that the nonveterans were more responsible for the war than the veterans. That because of the interconnectedness of all things, there is no escape from responsibility. That those who think they aren’t responsible are the most responsible. The very lifestyle of the nonveterans supports the institutions of war. The nonveterans, he said, needed to sit down with the veterans and listen, really listen to our experience. They needed to embrace whatever feelings arose in them when engaging with us – not to hide from their experience in our presence, not to try to control it, but just to be present with us.”
-- From At Hell's Gate: A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace, by Claude Anshin Thomas.
