I am a U.S. sailor recently returned from a deployment to the Mideast. While I was out there I read a couple of your books—Ishmael and The Story of B. As most of your readers have said, I was profoundly moved by your work.

However, I do not know how to balance my choice of a career with my choice of philosophies. I guess my question is: Do you think it’s worth ruining my future by leaving the service early or should I try to be as active as the military allows and finish my time?

People with changed minds are needed EVERYWHERE. They can’t all go to work for Greenpeace or the World Wildlife Fund. And they’re needed especially in the strongholds of Taker culture–in politics, industry, and, yes, the military!

You should definitely not think of ruining your career. Instead, see it as opportunity to shift the minds of the people around you, even by a degree or two. I think you’ll find at least a few who are more receptive than you expect.

ID: 559
posted:
updated: 28 Apr 2002