We're all crew mates, and it's time to start acting like it.

 I read this story by an Internet friend, Dave Rogers. As I was reading it, it dawned on me that there were strong parallels between service in the Navy, and Citizenship in the United States (or your Country, Dear Reader from afar).

When I went to school, long, long ago... there was almost zero focus on the rights and responsibilities of a citizen.  We learned how the system worked, the basic structure, and a rough idea of how the parts went together.  We learned a bit about how the system came to be.  We learned the myths of our country, not the facts, as I later learned.

I didn't realize it at the time... I didn't realize it until about 5 minutes ago... there was a huge gaping hole in my education... which Dave just filled, by analogy.

We, the citizens of the United States... are all serving a lifelong tour of duty. Almost every single person you meet day to day is on our team.   We're all working towards a set of goals, which we have failed to reach, but we always keep trying to get there.

Unlike life on a ship, our chain of command is inverted.... on the US America... the crew is in charge.  We decide who will take watch, following a set of rules set up long ago, by shipmates long past.  We change the rules when we need to, to adapt to challenges, or when lessons are learned. We should never forget who is in charge, and insubordination should be dealt with harshly!

Anyone who does not follow orders when put on post, should be punished.  Someone who expects to remain on their post after clearly failing to follow orders, is a fool, and likely deserves to be put in the brig.

I'm not a veteran... I hope I didn't make any asinine or offensive assumptions or statements about those in the service.  I thank Dave for his sharing of his experience, and wisdom, time, and a profound new view of my life.