Paoli High School
Paoli, Oklahoma
The War Within
Annie Southerland
12th Grade
Ben Herbster once said, “The greatest waste in the world is the difference between what we are and what we could become.” As we look at ourselves, our friends, even our country, it is simple to see how true this statement is. Driving through your hometown you might see rundown houses, over grown lawns, and broken down vehicles that appear to have been there for a while. Most of these people live off our state because it is ‘easy money.’ However, for the few that I have seen go in search for jobs, most are turned down because of their appearances. How wonderful it would truly be if we had more people who believed as Ben Herbster once did.
During Ben Herbster’s life, he grew to be known as doctor, reverend, leader and philanthropist. Dr. Herbster founded a number of organizations such as United Church Homes. This organization serves the elderly people. His charitable support caused the organization to expand and is now serving more than 3,000 elderly per year. Now selected individuals in United Church Homes’ communities receive the Ben M. Herbster Award for having such a character as that of Dr. Ben Herbster1.
As I turn and think of not only his life, but also this one quote, I am filled with mixed emotions, both confused and clear, pain and relief, and despair and hope. To me, this quote explains the balance in peoples’ minds. The ever-continuous battle of who a person is compared to that of what that person is willing to do and how far he is willing to go on the road of success, it is an amazing difference. I see people living on the streets, but why? Is it because they will not try, or maybe they spend the little money they have on drugs or alcohol? Again, many of these people sought employment yet were they turned away due to their lifestyle? How can people who are treated this way get back to who they were or might have been? How can their children change their future if people hold them back by not trusting them? How can children become who they have potential to become unless we believe in them and help? These thoughts alone bring pain and confusion to my heart.
As I take this quote and utilize it for our country, I become confused. After tragedies such as the Oklahoma bombing and the New York terrorist attacks, I cannot fathom the amount of self-anger these people must have felt for them to create such acts of destruction. To go against innocent people and take their lives, this is crazy! These men also wasted their own lives! How many of the terrorists may have become great doctors or mechanics…? There is no end to what these men may have become, yet in their country, these were noble acts in which they will go down in history and always be remembered.
Most people would rather “let fate decide” and believe that certain people are destined to do certain things. However, as humans, we have the will to choose. The only thing standing between our choices of good or ill in life is our motivation, determination, and influence. Motivation is set in place by people or circumstances in our lives to push us into positions of action. Determination is the next step, to allow us to continue to pursue our future even after we are tired and want to give up. Influences in our lives set the strength of both our determination and our motivation. These three things are essential to prevent the waste of wonderful peoples’ minds. But how to instill these characteristics in the minds of America’s individuals is the question of today’s society.
When an individual does not have the proper determination, motivation, and influence the person becomes internally at war with him or herself. The war reaches such climaxes that the person tends to lose hope and faith. To gain life anew they should seek to provide other people with determination, motivation, and influence. When these things are viewed in others’ lives, that individual finds the beginnings of such seeds in themselves have begun to sprout once again. This growth in the heart and soul of the individual changes their prospective in life and brings relief to their despair. This change brings to life a new happiness, in both the person who finds the inspiration to continue on and the person who gives this inspiration. As this change occurs in day-to-day circumstances within peoples’ lives, it may cause a chain reaction in which could change our nation, and even our world.2
In my short life, I have seen many wars and few times of peace. For the true war is within ourself, not with each other. When we are unhappy with ourselves, it is then that we fight amongst religions, political groups, countries, and most often with different ideas and cultures. April 19, 1995, and September 11, 2001, these events are just the latest. Even back in the time of Adolf Hitler, one person, group or political standing has been at war with itself, and also others. To most, destruction is the only cure, but war only brings pain, confusion, and fear. Only peace given by God can bring true harmony into a soul, a group, and into a complete country. May God bless America with true peace, for now the answers to all of our problems are clear!