28. How to Be A Person -- "Ours Versus Yours"

Sunday July 14th, 2024

There is a lot of talk about national service these days. Rishi Sunak floated it. Scott Galloway mentions it regularly. Pierre Poilievre says "We're going to end the woke culture and we're going to bring back a warrior culture.” Where’s the eye roll emoji on this thing?

85 countries require some form of military service including Austria, Argentina, Columbia, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Mexico and Norway.

But the through line is who calls for it and who must participate. 100% of the time it’s older people in power telling younger people they must make a sacrifice for their country (and often for their agreed-upon God).

Why waste our best and brightest on wars religious, territorial and otherwise when we haven’t availed ourselves of canon fodder from another demographic? The one already with a foot in the grave.

We have a tonne of old people. So many that we can’t afford them. These days we’re living well past our best before date. Senior citizens are suffering from a lack of connection, community and collaboration (pickle ball doesn’t cut it, Ruth-Anne).