Acting in the Service of a Higher Cause

This, it seems to me, is tricky business - and I would like to leave it alone.

But I am the product of a dysfunctional family - and worked most of my life, in a antisocial society. All these people proudly proclaimed that they were working in the service of a higher cause. And I feel I have to say something about this.

But what? People have been saying nasty things about other people, for a long time - perhaps forever. And in every way imaginable.

In desperation, I decided the best approach was the obvious one - to use myself as an example of what can go wrong. I was acting in the service of a higher cause, everyone assured me - and that way I couldn't go wrong. But I sure did - and badly wrong.

It began when I went to college - what kind of courses should I take? I was really interested in outdoor work, and could have gone to work for the Park Service - but, for that reason, I was pushed in other directions. Doing what was good for me - was simply not the right thing to do!

Right here, I should have gone my own way, and done my own thing. But I was not strong enough (or wise enough) to do this. I did what other people wanted me to do - not what I wanted to do.

I became an Electronic Engineer - even though I was not interested in Engineering, and never did much engineering work, when I did go to work. All the girls who ignored us in college (because we were too boring) now saw us as excellent husband material!

The Cold War needed exotic, expensive Radars to detect Soviet Bombers - and engineers were needed for this effort - we never did anything, but we were paid handsomely!

Our higher cause was the Cold War, and our enemy was Communism. We never noticed that we were wasting our riches - and wasting our lives!

But waste them we did - and we ended up holding an empty bag!