When my boys were in Air Force basic training a few years back, they told me about a concept I didn’t get during my basic training experience (many moons ago!). At least I didn’t remember it. They had to “earn their clothes”. This meant they were allowed to progress to increasingly more formal military attire as they achieved one training accomplishment after another until they finally got to wear their “dress blues” or Class A uniform.
I love this concept! Here’s what I get out of it:
1. You have to earn privileges. You don’t get all the “goodies” right from the start. Freedoms are earned over time depending on how (or if) you show up, perform, and make an effort to get to the next level. The ability to move freely around the base during those grueling basic training weeks is doled out to you bit by bit. You have to earn them and oh my, how sweet it is when you are finally allowed to go down to the corner store, movie theatre, or church for Sunday services. You really learn to appreciate the small things. You don’t take much for granted because you know how quickly you could lose it all with one misstep.
2. You build pride when wearing that uniform. It stands for something. It deserves respect and it shows respect for others. You have to prove your right to wear it. Along with the pride is the confidence you gain in knowing you’ve achieved something significant.
3. Wearing the uniform is a visible sign of your right to belong. It communicates something to the world. It means you darn well better “walk your talk” ’cause everyone’s watching and people know what it means. You are now part of something much bigger than yourself.
Ways we “earn our clothes” outside the military include: getting your drivers license for the first time, sports awards, wedding rings, Golden Globe, Academy Awards, Country Music Awards, the corner office, job titles, the cars we drive, the houses we live in, the alphabet soup you put behind your name, the cell phone you carry, etc. All visible expressings of our wanting (needing) to belong, to show the world we’ve made it, to achieve a sense of pride and confidence, etc.
And with the right to wear the “uniform” comes the responsibility to treat it with respect. THIS is the part many never learn. The rights we possess come with a responsibility – towards others mostly:
- It’s great you have the latest cell phone, but others around you don’t deserve to have their peace interrupted and have to listen to your conversations
- Just because you earned the right to afford a BMW doesn’t mean you get to shirk responsibility for slowing down in a school zone
- Winning an Academy Award doesn’t mean you now get to ridicule the values of people in “flyover states”
- Congratulations on your latest stock split. Now, how are you upholding the ethical standards your company espouses?
- Millions of kids watched you on television last night as you “flipped the bird” to opposing fans or threw the punch that started the brawl
- Our young people admire you and learn some amazing things from how you conduct yourself in front of a camera. What lessons are you teaching them?
See what I mean? I think more people ought to be required to “earn their clothes” and in doing so, perhaps have a bit more appreciation for the responsibility that goes with the right to wear them.
Until next time,
Laura
