Life Lessons From the Marines: Fluidity
by There’s lots about war that seems similar to daily life. Correct your thinking about life by adopting the proper attitudes toward war. (Or something like that.)
I suppose it’s time to flip over a few more cards here and let you know that what I’m describing in these articles on the nature of war is maneuver warfare. It is the chief methodology used by the Marines for engaging the enemy. Luckily for us, it is also a way to get through life. In our study of the various aspects of life, the next one is Fluidity.
Life, war, and the human condition are not static. They are, by their very nature, like a running river. At any one cross section the river is never the same from one instant to the next. It is the result of the motion of the water up to that point with all the forces working to shape it. It is also the set up for the future condition of the river just a blink of an eye away in both time and space.
What does this mean for your life? Not surprisingly, change. Forces are at work in your life, both physical and mental, that will change your situation by the year, by the hour, and by the second. Some forces are predictable but most are not. Therefore, you need to recognize that what might be working just fine at the moment will be overtaken by events and no longer relevant in the future.
Marines love this. In war, every second that goes by presents you with new opportunities and new challenges. You can work with them or work against them but you cannot stop them. An everchanging situation is best controlled by those who prepare themselves for the Next Thing. It’s often been said that luck is simply preparation meeting opportunity. That is quite true.
Just as applying the principles of maneuver warfare required Marines to think in new ways, you will need to think in new ways. We’ll talk more as the days go by about the nature of life and how maneuver warfare will allow you to change your life for the good.
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