One More Day Alive

By Chris Benguhe

Approximately 20 percent of the 30,000 suicides in this country each year are committed by veterans. That’s about 18 veterans committing suicide each day!

Sometimes we need to take a break from all of our own problems to talk to someone who needs desperately to be listened to and let the good Lord inspire us with something positive to say in return. Our returning soldiers need an extra heaping of that lovin’ nowadays.

A startling proof of that came a few years ago when I met Robert, a young American soldier who had returned from Iraq a few months earlier after waking up on a pile of rubble with most of his legs gone.  The former U.S. marine got blown up while trying to charge a rocket launcher aimed at a mosque where a rival religion faction was organizing a voter-training meeting.

He was rescued by his comrades in arms and rushed back to a hospital in time to save his life.  Then after a whole lot of surgeries and rehabilitation overseas, he was sent back to the United States and his family. 

Predictably, things weren’t easy for Robert.  His wife left him a few months after he returned, unable to deal with the pain that plagued his body and the darkness that persisted in his heart and head.

Months later in a tiny Irish pub, Robert was sitting, staring pensively at the traditional Celtic band as they played a maudlin musical lament that perfectly illustrated his mood.

While sipping my usual cup of espresso in my favorite booth, I spied Robert looking a bit forlorn to say the least.

“How’s it going?” I shouted over the music.  “Are you havin’ a good time?”

With military precision and conviction he shouted back.  “I’m all messed up,” as he pointed down toward his strapped up legs – two prosthesis, bustling with wires, springs and plastic.  “I’m in the hospital every other day,” he continued.  “I’m in constant pain.  At night I pop pain pills until I pass out.  Then I wake up from the nightmares and pray to God I don’t fall asleep again.”

A bit overwhelmed by his honesty, I was tempted not to pursue the matter further, but my humanity got the better of me, and I walked over to his table to learn more.  I soon discovered that what made Robert’s pain and suffering truly unbearable for him was that he could not be there for the most important person in his life – his six year-old-daughter.  “I’m no good for her now,” he cried.  “Not like this.  I can’t even take care of myself, let alone be a dad.  Seeing me so depressed and down isn’t what she needs right now.”

Because of this he had given up visitation rights to his daughter until he could get his life back on track.  The way he spoke of his daughter lit up the room and my heart as well.

“You love that girl so much that you gave her up for her own good,” I told him.  “Do you realize what a tremendous sacrifice that was? Being aware of your own devotion to her will fuel you to overcome this obstacle so you can get back to her.  You now have a greater reason in your heart than you have ever known to recover!” 

Robert raised his head from its slumber and got a bit of a twinkle in his eye as if a light bulb went off.  “That’s true,” he uttered softly – the military acuteness giving way to a sober serenity. “I’ve really got something to work on now.”

I ran into Robert again a few weeks later, and I realized my words came at the tight time.

“You saved my life,” he whispered as he pulled me closer to give me a huge hug.  “I was ready to swallow a bottle of those pain pills that night.  But you made me realize how much I had to live for.  I wasn’t messed up – I was alright.  And I’m going to kick this all and get back to being a great dad for my little girl.”

Shock, amazement, confusion – I can’t even begin to express what I felt.  I told him thanks for his words of thanks – and to pass on the favor some day. 

Today, I am asking you to pass on the favor. If you know a vet, see one in a restaurant or even pass them on the street, take the time to say thanks and maybe to listen to their story. You just might help them to win the hardest battle of their lives, so we all can win the war we fight every day to make this world a better place. 

Want to help our vets financially? Buy Chris Benguhe’s latest book, “Overcoming Life’s 7 Common Tragedies: Opportunities for Discovering God” this month through his website at http://onemoredayalive.com/buy-the-book/ and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project!

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Consensus has a value, especially when it is reached through a common high value rather than the lowest common denominator. Isn’t it about time we find that when it comes to health care?

It seems like that highest common value should and could be the respect for human life.

The debate over healthcare is dominating the airwaves, and suddenly people are coming out in droves at town meetings speaking their minds, questioning and criticizing.

Let me buck all the other pundits who are getting all shook up and say this is the best thing that could have happened to America.

Because Americans all over the place are looking for the most just and effective way to take care of each other; wow – that’s downright beautiful.

Furthermore people are actually taking the time to scrutinize a policy decision and think about how it will change our nation.

Finally, and even more importantly, they are trying to figure out what is morally right!

Intellectuals forever have worried that a rise in populism in America was going to bring about mob rule – a society in which people no longer thought but simply made emotionally directed decisions that were supported by a swell of support.

When I first saw President Obama swept into the White House last year in a wave of popular euphoria, I marveled at the public swelling of support. But I was concerned about whether in all the excitement people were really examining and questioning his policies enough, especially those that dealt with the issue of the sanctity of human life.

But right now I am witnessing a greater responsibility in our population than I have seen in my life time, and a greater concern for humanity than I have seen in a long time.

Most Americans want to help those that are sick, polls show, but they are equally concerned about losing benefits for themselves and their loved ones to pay for it and wondering whether the elderly and those on Medicare will have their care compromised.

Then there is the very real concern for whether or not the government should have the right to decide quality of life and length of life issues. Though the bills currently proposed do not implicitly endorse euthanasia, as some overzealous pundits have stated, they do paint a picture of a new government healthcare system that will pick and choose who deserves what level of care. That could lead to government deciding ultimately who will live and who will die.

Personally, I think it might make a lot more sense to build on what so many others have worked to create – making it better, helping to make coverage available to those who don’t have it through cooperatives, lowering premiums with subsidies, and increasing our nation’s commitment to faith based human services charities. In a nation as wealthy as ours, that shouldn’t be that difficult!

But there is one thing I know for sure, something I also believe the America people are starting to understand more and more because of this whole discussion.

We all have a divine right to life, and we do not receive that from the government but from our Creator. (Gallup Poll results in May showing more pro-life Americans than pro-abortion rights Americans for the first time since 1995 is a good indicator.)

I think maybe we could find the answer to this problem by looking deeper into the innate value of life and how to honor God’s dominion over it. He gave us this precious life, and only He should decide when it starts and ends. But in the mean time, it’s up to us to figure out how to best respect it in ourselves and others.

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