FRIENDS & FAMILY
Greetings and happy holidays from yet another stop on Uncle Sam's grand tour of this country's countless asylums. Here at Fort Dix guys like me nearly drown in a sea of outcasts, misfits, and miscreants. Taking a line from Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket: " I am in a world of shit". I miss maximum security where at least there was some semblance of order...and pride in being a stand-up guy. I fight every day to keep my head above the rising tide of the low, vile and worthless inhabitants that slither about in places such as this.
I'm sure you're familiar with the expression, " every day is a struggle". I believe that, in one form or another, we fight every day. Yet, as the holidays are upon us once again, let's take a well deserved break from the daily grind. Whether you're raising a freshly cracked bottle ofMoet, clanging shot glasses of Sambuca and shouting a toast of " Buona Fortuna" or, like us here, toasting styrofoam cups of strong coffee while enjoying the company of old and new friends alike, together let's pay tribute to another year of fighting the fight.
This year we've all fought on many fronts: fighting to make ends meet,fighting to protect ourselves and those we love, fighting illnesses, fighting Father Time, fighting for and against measures that affect us and the ones we love and fighting the daily battles that accompany living life.
I vividly remember my mother, surrounded by our community, fighting the issue of " forced busing". This battle was waged not for personal reasons but for the greater good of our friends and family. These brave activists taught me not just how to fight but that if your cause is just, never to back down....even in the face of insurmountable odds. Today the fighter is still alive in my mother. I'm grateful to her for instilling in me the fighting spirit...and it's always a pleasure fighting right by her side. I'm humbled by her tenacity and resiliancy at even the most difficult periods a lifetime can bring.
As my mother courageously fights for her health and the rest of us fight in everyday theatres, we do so as ordinary heroes. We look to our own circle of influence for people to look up to, emulate, and learn from. We're not easily persuaded to idolise pop icons as others do, we look to our mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, children and grandchildren, friends andtrusted confidants. We see the world not only through our own eyes, but tyhe eyes of those we love. We fight for these people and because of these people.
Life is meaningful because of the exteremely small minority of people that make it worth living. If it wasn't for our friends and family, our heroes, life would hold little value. These people have fought courageously for us and we will do the same for them. They have looked even the most barbaric opponents in the eye and went toe to toe with them. When it comes to protecting the ones they love, no opponent is unbeatable. The lesson we learn from them is simply put in an old Italian proverb, " At the end of a chess game, the king and pawn go in the same box".
Being together with our family and friends underlies the meaning of the holidays and lends credence to the reasons we fight. As the new year calls for resolutions and new beginnings, we should renew our resolve to fight for what we believe in and fight for those we love. The fight can be as simple as living a healthier, cleaner life or as difficult as laying down your own life so the ones you love may live on. Whether your sacrifice is large or small it is exercise for the soul, and the payoff is becoming a better person: a parent that a son or daughter looks up to, the friend a friend would like to have. The fight never ends...and as long as we hold our loved ones dear, we can never stop fighting for them! Natalie and I wish you all the very best of luck this year. Keep fighting and Happy Holidays.
With Love and Respect
Johnny Bart HAMC Boston
BHC