JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
Wisdom is your perspective on life, your sense of balance, your understanding of how the various parts and principles apply and relate to each other.
Steven R. Covey
Very early one Saturday morning I found myself being awakened by the sound of screeching metal, violent jolts and flickering lights; those few seconds which seemingly lasted an eternity abruptly halted as my body was thrown into a seat in front of me. That morning, August 9th, 1997, I was aboard the Amtrak Southwest Chief which derailed near Kingman, Ariz., due to a bridge that had washed away during a flash flood. For the duration of those everlasting few seconds just prior to impact, a person could imagine the pure chaos and instability of the mind and the environment of such an instance. Yet while reflecting back through those short moments, I remember only the clarity I managed to attain: my perspective toward life's values.
So how can we define such values? Most of us will probably have a different way in describing their worth and the context of their use, especially since we all possess them; yet they are similar only through their differences. If you ask yourself what you value the most, you may come to find that the answers come to you quite quickly; it is the manner in which we go about procuring those ideals we care about the most that we reveal another set of values. These values are shaped through our worldly experiences, religion, family upbringing, and community to name a few. We as Airmen are grouped together in order to support and accomplish some of the most unrivaled feats this world has come to know; as result the demand for such excellence can be equally taxing as it is rewarding.
Our branch's identity is forged through our adopted values of Integrity first, Service before self, and Excellence in all we do, thus inevitably when values come into conversation these three come to mind. My challenge to the reader through this article is to attempt in identifying those personal life values which are specific to you. In personally identifying what culminates life's worth and those values which you live by, we can better understand the perspective in which we view our world.
For instance I whole heartily believe that the individual perspective can be considered a facet of our military unity, thus through the understanding within ourselves we can strengthen our ability to inherit external principles and social mores like those of our Air Force. Becoming aware of what is important to us as individuals we can better empathize with our peers, knowing that their perspective like our own is completely unique. When we can better identify with our peers, we then hold the key to creating unity as a single force. It is through the trust of values in which the men and women of our forces have the ability to lead and be led through difficult tasks. We can't expect others to exploit our greatest abilities through leadership and followership if we ourselves do not understand what truly drives us.
Going back 15 years to that Saturday when I think about what was going through my mind; my sense of values were not necessarily shaped as our external sources present them to be; as I suspect your own will be different as well. Through the years my values have matured and changed in some aspects where others remain steadfast. It is through the continuous search for a fundamental understanding of those ideals and principles in our lives, that we are better apt to balance what we deem important and become wise when incorporating those values placed before us.
Integrity first, Service before self, Excellence in all we do.