Another Kind Of Green

Green is the colour of envy. And the colour of pea & brocolli soup--though that's not quite the topic of today's post. I know this because my cookhouse serves food which has a look and texture quite like the latter, and also because I have been both a participant and witness of the former.

Considering how it's always been said that the clothes maketh the man, it should probably come as no surprise then that if you were to don green for a good five days of the week, you would not only give off vibes of a certain sort of vegetable soup, but you'd also inevitably start to get more chummy with our good friend, jealousy. It's something that's unmistakably prevalent in your daily activities; probably the most prominent of the lot would be the envy those in green have of those of the outside world, in their ted bakers and ben shermans. A host of other instances come to mind: a weary and disillusioned trainee covets the carefree and unterrorized life of an out-of-coursee; a disappointed infantryman bemoans his lowly caste, all the while eying his dream exotic vocation (that's you, rarely-seen-after-fives); a dejected young chap mulls over how he didn't make it to the cadet school he'd been hoping for; a member of the aforementioned cadet school who abjectly resents his thirtyish hours of freedom. We all know at least one of these people, for it is most likely that we ourselves are one of them.

As those who are unfortunately afflicted with this curse of emerald, are we then subject to two years of lamentation and loss? Such a question begs an answer, but we all know that sometimes, we just don't have the change.

Yet, some possibilities present themselves:

To those who are religious, you can hold your ground, knowing that where you are now is the best place for you to be. Someone knows full well what you are going through, and this Someone has placed you there for a purpose--a purpose you might not be aware of, but a purpose which you can look back and be unashamedly proud of.

Even if you aren't quite the pope's best mate, it by no means compromises your ability to gain from your pain. As patheticly romantic as this may sound, there are times when you can't help but notice that you've developed in physique, in character, and as an individual. It's amazingly paradoxical, in fact, that while during your time in green you gain a greater sense of self, you are also led to learn the virtues of selflessness.

Such are sentiments you need not necessarily share, no doubt, but you can be assured that there is still hope in the trenches--a hope that there is still significance of where are you now, a hope that there lies some value in what appears to be a foolish waste of time. It is a hope which, while arguably idealistic in its slant, provides us with the possibility of discovering meaning in where we are now.

As humans, perhaps one of the most pressing needs we have is the desire to find meaning in life, and in what we do. It is truly my hope that you come to find for yourself this profound signficance in where you are now--be it as part of a divine Plan, or simply the potential value of your experiences.

Maybe in time we can all safely say that

I don't need another kind of green to know,

I'm on the right side

***

Editor: Speaking of which, as I was thinking about what to write on my bus home, it started to drizzle. In keeping with the macho spirit of a guy in green, I decided to brave the rain despite my converses (which in their messed up state probably have more hole-in-ones than tiger woods). Anyway, knowing my golden luck, it started to rain cats, dogs and various other forms of livestock, and I tried making a quick dash home. Yet even with that act of gusto, I was well and truly soaked. I couldn't help noticing though, that I somehow found the whole thing rather humorous (as did this jogger who I ran by, though she was probably laughing at my sorry state), something which I probably wouldn't have found quite so were I not a member of the Being Uncleansed For Multiple Days Whilst In The Jungle Association.

NB: Ahh I know the are lyrics completely taken out of context, but it's just too brilliant a line to not use.