The Paratrooper's Prayer

There is another aspect of religion that I feel is not touched enough upon. The prayers that bring hope, the prayers that strengthen, to not change others but better oneself. 

Aspirant(LT) André Louis Arthur Zirnheld,

The Paratrooper’s Prayer

 

I’m asking You God, to give me what You have left.
Give me those things that others never ask of You.
I don’t ask You for rest, or tranquillity.
Not that of the spirit, the body, or the mind.
I don’t ask You for wealth, or success, or even health.
All those things are asked of You so much Lord,
that you can’t have any left to give.
Give me instead Lord what You have left.
Give me what others don’t want.
I want uncertainty and doubt.
I want torment and battle.
And I ask that You give them to me now and forever Lord,
so I can be sure to always have them,
because I won’t always have the strength to ask again.
But give me also the courage, the energy,
and the spirit to face them.
I ask You these things Lord, because I can’t ask them of myself.

 This is the translated version, the original being in French.

 I am an Atheist, how you feel is up to you, but this is my 5 cents worth. While it is named as a prayer, I see it as a call as well, a reminder to hold fast on one’s own values, of discipline, of will to carry on. While I do not believe in any God, I still have my own values, my own Ethnical system that I use to judge my actions and guide my life. 

My primary creed goes like this.

Take, not the easy way but the right way. Everytime.

There are others but I shall not dwell on those here.

Of course, there is the question of what is right, what is wrong, an argument that can be debated till the Sun goes out and still go on. However, to be able to judge for yourself what is right and what is wrong is a clear sign of independence and maturity. After all, you cannot have your parents or your priest standing beside you as you make your choices everyday.

Not just that, an act of kindness, whether it originates from your Christian background or just plain old morals make no difference in my opinion, it is still an act of kindness.

I detract. 

As I read this prayer, I feel a connection to the author. When the situation becomes dire, what I believe I need to do is not to look around for help, be it divine intervention or buddy assistance. Instead, you should stand up and get yourself out of the situation. Only when facing conflict and uncertainty will one be able to grow and better oneself! Of course not everything is to the extreme as in the case of Lt Zirnheld. Day to day decisions count as well. (Although they are far less dramatic)

-ARP

Some of you may have noticed the post changed. I do my best to iron out any grammatical/spelling errors as I check my blog on a regular basis, and take note of all your comments. Comments that I will heed and use them to improve myself and this blog, so Keep them Coming!