General Stanley McChrystal is the sort of man who inspires great respect and admiration. He is a soldier of soldiers, disciplined and dedicated. He is also a man's man; tough, home-grown, hardy, fearless, athletic, competitive, loyal, and smart. Women probably had a strong sense of security around him, and children probably wished he was their father. Everything about McChrystal suggests that he was molecularly and cellulary programmed to be a military leader from conception. His mother probably named him Stanley because it would make a good general's name. Stanley McChrystal is a hero's name, just like Beowulf. He has the spirit of Beowulf. He fights not for the victory, but for the thrill of facing a worthy opponent. They are the sort of men, who will discard their sword to fight a weaponless man.
Despite his early years of honor, one shame defined Beowulf''s life and he died in dishonor. Likewise with McChrystal. The president used adjectives like "dedicated", "finest" and "intelligent" to describe the venerated general, but all of this was obscured by a moment of lapse in judgement by McChrystal. Just as Beowulf, as strong and impenetrable as he was, went against his better judgement and slept with the witch, so did McChrystal with this Rolling Stones journalist. Why either men did it was inconceivable, because Beowulf had access to every female admirer, and McChrystal had the attention of all the world. But why?
Isn't this the mysterious and fickle human condition at work here? We have this inherent ability to screw things up for no apparent reason when we are at our pinnacle and everything is going good.
McChrystal, Beowulf, me, you --- what is the difference? We are not without spot or wrinkle.
did mcchrystal have a secured childhood? did he enjoy school? was he ever outlandish? was he ever a rebel? at college, did he ever engage in any ideological movements?
ReplyDeletewhat has mcchrystal done with his life? and who has he done it with? who were his friends? enemies? foes?
was he a religious man? a man of science? did he ever care for the arts? performance arts? did he ever read leo tolstoy's war and peace?
when did he join the military? how early in life did he start considering the military as a possible career? did he ever regret his decision to join the military? what was his experience in the military? his great achievements? his frustrations? how did he over come these frustrations?
what did mcchrystal find attracting in his administrative work? planning wars? avoiding wars? building allies? peace talks? diplomacy? what limits did he perceive in his vocation as far as his understanding of the military's role in this modern world was? what was mcchrystal searching for as a general? legacy? who was general mcchrystal?
State your point young man!
ReplyDeleteisn't it obvious? i had a million unanswered questions about mcchrystal even after reading his 'obituary.' in fact, i had no single question about him answered (e.g., what was his nick name in high school?) but if i had these questions answered, then i think i would be in position to sketch his portrait.
ReplyDeleteyou use descriptors such as 'inspires great admiration'. i ask, among whom? you call him 'disciplined.' i ask, do you know why he just got fired? you call him 'a man's man.' i mindlessly utter, huh? ... loyal. smart. molecularly programed. his mom named him stanley because he was destined, molecularly, to be a general. ok, i say, this is dry humor; and i like dry humor. 'he fights for victory and not thrill.' i wonder, how would you know this? where is the evidence in his life's story? where is his life's story? what drove him in life? you conclude with the rhetorical question "isn't this the fickle minded human condition at play here?" of course i can't see any trace of humanity in the description. i see more of the author of the biography than i see mcchrystal. i can guess the authors gender (and age) with a lot of confidence. but mcchrystal!
how, then, should an obituary be written? and why? and who the hell is beowulf? i was once told that every human being is entitled to 15 minutes of fame, at least: at birth, on their wedding day & at death. therefore, the lowest regard for anyone may be manifested when you invoke other peoples names during any of these 15 minutes. you just did that to your dear mcchrystal. you couldn't find anything in his life worth describing; but as a charitable gift, you equated him to whomsoever beowulf was. a travesty.
do i make my point young woman?
Did you know that Dave Patreus matriculated into West Point against the backdrop of the Vietman war? Did you know he graduated near the top of his class? Did you know he got married to the Super intendants daughter right after graduating? Did you know he went up in the military ranks rapidly shortly after wards? Did you know that he "took the professional risk of going back to school in spite of his ascent in ranks? He enrolled into Princeton and got a PhD with the capstone topic "Post-Vietman analysis of what went wrong after Vietman."
ReplyDeleteIntellectually agility. Self criticism. That's his style. I'd like to know such stuff about McChrystal.