I’m calling this post We Forget because we forget how good we have it. Maybe we think we have it good, people in some other countries might say they have it better. Less complicated may be good for some people, no running water, indoor plumbing, electricity, heating, or cooling. However, for us we call them necessities and we are useless without them.
My wife and I came home last night after a short trip to my daughter’s house to see our grand children and as soon as we came near our home we both noticed water running from our yard. It was not a good sign at 8:30 in the evening. The water was coming out of the top of the water meter enclosure. In the dark, I couldn’t tell if it was on my side of the meter or that of the water company. I called the water company and they sent someone out to investigate however, just before they arrived I figured out it was on my side. The water company worker arrived and realized that too and he really didn’t have anything on his truck that would help me fix the problem except one fitting. I would need about a 6-inch piece of PVC pipe and a coupler to join the pipe together. I had the coupler but no PVC pipe and a quick trip to the local Wal-Mart store told me that we would be without water until the next day.
Being without water, I couldn’t even wash my hands and my wife had to pour water from a gallon jug as I tried to clean the mud off. Even brushing your teeth becomes a chore. However, one night without water is a lot easier to deal with than being without power. So yes, we are truly useless without our necessities.
Lone Survivor
I just finished reading the book Lone Survivor written by Marcus Luttrell. Marcus Luttrell is a Navy SEAL and was part of a 4-man SEAL team deployed to Afghanistan. On one operation, his team was on the hunt for a high profile al Qaeda leader in the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan. His team was given up by three sheepherders to Taliban and al Qaeda fighters. The 4-man SEAL team was out numbered 50 to 1 and after the fight only Marcus Luttrell survived but not before taking a heavy toll on the Taliban and al Qaeda.
What follows was taken from the book jacket cover…
… blasted unconscious by a rocket grenade, blown over a cliff, but still armed and still breathing. Over the next four days, badly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell fought off six al Qaeda assassins who were sent to finish him, then crawled for seven miles through the mountains before he was taken in by a Pashtun tribe, who risked everything to protect him from the encircling Taliban killers.
Pashtun Tribesman
The Pashtun tribesmen are a very hardy people who live in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan. There is no running water except for some mountain streams, no indoor plumbing, or electricity. They don’t have any of the comforts that we have nor would they want them. These truly tough people have survived for thousands of years like this and will do so for the next thousand years. In my opinion, the best thing we could do to defeat the Taliban and al Qaeda in that area is to get on the good side of these people.
Conclusion
So why did I go full circle from our comfortable lifestyle to the complete opposite. Because We Forget and need to be reminded that, just because we are a “Super Power,” sometimes we are not the toughest people on the mountain.
I’m glad that we have Marcus Luttrell’s ready and willing to lay it all on the line for our freedom and comfortable lifestyle. Thanks, Marcus!
