"Oh no. Another Navy story"
Yep
I went to AOCS (Aviation Officer Candidate School). If you saw the movie An Officer and a Gentleman, that is pretty much it. You get physically and emotionally abused by Marine Corps drill instructors while also having to pass courses in aerodynamics and the like.
It was incredibly punishing in most conceivable ways.
The thing was, we could quit any time we liked. We could just say ‘enough,' then they would just process us out and send us home. The whole thing tested us in ways we hadn't thought of. It was an experience of endurance.
How did we get through it? The first few weeks, the goal was to just make it to the next meal. The abuse still existed there, but it added punctuation to the day. Eventually, the goal was to make it to the next day. Towards the end, the week. We kept each other going, survivors surviving together. We knew mostly when someone was about to break, and we ran intercept.
Just hang on.
The next administration has promised punishment. They have promised to systematically remove our humanity and our ability to live our lives.
We must endure. We must find the next goal for survival and make sure we all make it there. We may have to aim small (make it to the next hour), but we have to go on. Don't give up, make it to the next mark, and get as many others to the next mark as you can.