May 30 2011
Rocket in the Gut
This post seems appropriate for Memorial Day weekend because its lessons come from military situations and personal dedication. And, when I make the transition from this particular event to another type of life lesson, I hope the connection works for you. It certainly works for me.
On March 16, 2006 in southeastern Afghanistan during a fierce ambush and subsequent firefight, Spc. Channing Moss was impaled by a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG). The tip of the RPG was visible beneath the skin of his upper right thigh and the tail fin protruded from his left torso. Through the dedication of fellow soldiers, the live ordinance was surgically removed and safely detonated, and he survived this ordeal.
As I read this amazing story, I began to consider that phrase: rocket in the gut. I think we all have a rocket in our gut that needs to be removed for our survival. We all have something of explosive capability that if brought out and properly detonated, it’s sheer firepower can be harnessed to do it’s job. Now I understand that the goal of a real RPG is to kill and maim, and that’s why I want to be delicate when making sensitive comparisons. Consider the power inherent in an RPG. It could be released from this deadly rocket and harnessed and shepherded into something useful and positive, if properly handled.
You have power in you that needs to be released in order to effect the greater world. Leave it in, and it could kill your desire, your joy, your passion for living. But let it out and direct it into something positive and useful for the world, and you will not only save yourself, you will save those around you as well.
What is your “rocket in the gut?” What is your ticking time bomb of power that needs to be removed and changed into something that positively effects the world? The time to release that power is NOW!
