“We were built to think alike. Everything is so standardized in the military that you can function without thinking. If I ever needed night vision goggles, somebody could throw me their bag, and I’d know exactly what pocket to find them in. We were like cogs in a wheel. And that may sound like a bad thing—but it’s not. Nobody wants to think of themselves as cogs in a wheel, but humans love structure. Our behavior is predictive. All of us tend to be in the same place, at the same time, every single day. The tendency is just accelerated in the military. And it feels good. It feels good to know your place. It feels good to wear the same uniform. It feels good to know exactly what you’re contributing to the mission, to the team, and to the country as a whole. Your value is so clear. But then you come home and the lines are blurred. It’s hard to discover that value again. You’re not sure where you fit. You’re not sure how you connect to other people. You’re not sure how to make a difference. It can be very isolating. And all you want to do is be back on a team.”
