All It's Cracked Up To Be

I started reading a book about a group of soldiers yesterday and was surprised, when putting it down for the first time, that I didn't really expect them to ever get around to fighting anyone. Which is a bit unusual really, as that's supposed to be their job. In theory. And they haven't yet. They may as the story goes on, but it's just as likely that the whole body of the book will be taken up with them marching from place to place. It wasn't quite what they expected. Many things aren't. Humans are terrible at assuming things; they are also reknowned for seeing things as they wish to. A combination which makes any transition into a solid reality a rather uncomfortable one. The recruits were expecting strong ideals, hearty company, and a glorious fight for their country. They soon found out that they would be unlikely to see action glorious or otherwise, that their 'compatriots' were scared, miserable, at times inanely cruel and ultimately fighting (erm... marching that is) for selfish reasons. We often make the same error - after all it's not all our fault; ideas, ideals and concepts are shunted at us so thick and fast that we have little choice but to absorb some of them. The key is to realise that it's happening - when we know that the image we have of a particular thing is quite possibly false or skewed we're much less likely to be disillusioned. We have to assume some ideas are true (sometimes on very little hard evidence) - our brains can't function on constant uncertainty - but never let us mistake a necessary evil for a good. It must not become an auto-drive mode that we slip into - if it does, the effects won't stop at disappointment for not recieving what we expected. A thick comforting shroud will be wrapped around our minds until the point is reached when its removal will paralyze us - and if it is never removed we will drift slowly, like a man in the last stages of drowning, into unconciousness and beyond.