June 19, 2005
Bob Dole's message
As noted earlier, I received a copy of Bob Dole's wartime memoir, One Soldier's Story. I finished it on a recent flight to and from Washington, D.C.
His painful tale of loss and recovery is eloquent, even if the language is (like his public speaking) plainspoken. Quintessentially Midwestern, the message is simple but profound: Make a life. Make a difference. You don't have to walk alone.
One of life's great milestones is when a person can look back and be almost as thankful for the setbacks as for the victories. Gradually, it dawns on us that success and failure are not polar opposites. They are part of the same picture -- the picture of a full life, where you have your ups and downs. After all, none of us can ever lose unless we find the courage to try. Losing means that at least you were in the race. It means that when the whistle sounded, life did not find you watching from the sidelines.There certainly have been times over the years when I have grappled with the "why" questions. Why did this happen to me? Why just a few days before the war ended? The questions are unanswerable this side of heaven. It's taken me sixty years to come to grips with the toughest questions of life, and in some small way, this book is my answer.
But instead of wallowing in despair trying to figure out a dilemma for which I believe there is a much larger answer than I will ever know, I've chosen to focus on a different set of "why" questions.
Why waste time wondering what might have been? Why go through life feeling sorry for myself? Instead of asking "why me," why not do something to help others?
Why indeed. Bob Dole's courage is an example for us all.
Posted by Alan at June 19, 2005 03:34 PM