soldier.

it's 3.50 am. merry Xmas.

if you think about it, you would envy the life of a soldier. really.

basically, a soldier gets sent to boot camp. he goes through basic training. his sole purpose is to train himself to be the best he can be. eliminate weakness as best he can and exploit his own talents to his own advantage. the best ones get chosen to lead. the rest follow.

when he gets out of boot camp and begins his 'service' - if there's a war - he'll be sent to wherever the war is at. this is where the training is put to practical use. in a war, if you don't overcome your own weaknesses - you die. however, if you do overcome, conquer and rise above your weaknesses and become a better soldier - you get promoted in the ranks.

at the end of your 'service' - assuming you survive all the wars and politics. you retire. you take it easy. you reflect. and then you rest in peace.

that's life isn't it? in a nutshell - that's life.

but lets take this metaphor a step further.

lets take a 'soldier' and a 'politician'.

the soldier's life is the one i would want. your purpose is simpler. the BIG plan is up to the politicians. as a soldier, i carry out all my orders to the best of my abilities provided the basic principle of why i became a soldier is kept in view.

meaning to say - using the 'soldier' metaphor. if i became a soldier because i want to serve my country. because i want to protect my home. because i want to rid the world of tyranny. as long as the orders i am given are in line with objectives like that. i will follow. if something is 50/50 - i carry my orders out cause as a soldier - that is what i signed up for.

BUT - i believe in the notion of an IDEALISTIC soldier. if at the end of the day, all my orders did not lead to any of my objectives. that is when i will put a stop to the bad orders. or just not carry them out anymore.

but it's easy to say that by doing that - i am promoting terrorism innit?

there's no easy way to describe what i'm trying to articulate here or possibly i lack the level of articulation required at this point.

but lemme attempt to do so - if you know the movie GLADIATOR. MAXIMUS, the character played by Russel Crowe. that is the soldier i aspire to be. a leader among soldiers. none of the politics. no bullshit. he served ROME because he believed in what ROME was trying to do. ROME wanted to unite the world in all its differences to become one. he believed ROME strived for greatness and wanted to share that greatness with the world.

in doing so, he believed he helped make the world a better place. it made the world a better place for his child. for his wife. for his family. for everyone's child, wife and family.

and if he did his job well. if he executed orders efficiently. then he could go home to his family safe in the knowledge that the world is a better place. he didn't NEED to be the leader. if there was someone more qualified and willing to take the helm - he would be willing to let that other take leadership. he became the leader because he was confident in himself and he was sure that he could do it. not out of ego. it was just belief.

he became a leader amongst soldiers because he himself was a soldier and he knew what the other soldiers wanted. and he stayed their leader for as long as they had faith in him. as he had faith in himself.

that's it. i am a simple man. i just want to go to boot camp. i just want to train myself to become a better man. the best that i can be. if i am good, i will be recognised for it without asking for the recognition. i wish to graduate out to the world and put my training to practical use. and climb ranks. and not die. but rise above and continually learn to become a better man. i seek to be a leader among soldiers. i want to have faith in myself. and hopefully, it'll all fall into place.

i am no politician. i am soldier.

that's it.

sigining off, the common jack amongst the kings and queens.