I had someone ask me a few weeks ago, "looking out at a world with so much evil and so much bad, how could you believe in God and how can you get excited for something like Christmas? How could you put so much effort into your ideals"
This is a tough question. I've been in this person's position before and shared the same mindset.
I am by no means the wisest man in the world, but I have lived a good amount of life and this is my best answer:
It is precisely because this world is an imperfect place, because I know that evil exists, and because I know that there are things like suffering in this world that I hold onto my beliefs and ideals.
This is why I joined the Marine Corps in the first place, and why I run this podcast. It's why I pray everyday, why I take care of my body, and why I work so hard to spread this message. It's why I believe God put me on the path to do all of these things.
It's easy to become negative. It's easy to tell someone off, exact revenge, and it's easy to try to make this world more worse off than it is. The harder thing is to work on building this world into a better place, to lift people up, and to free yourself from negativity by forgiving.
We all need to hold ourselves to higher standards because the world is the way it is, especially within the warrior class. That's because we know that evil exists.
We're the ones who need to be strong because, paraphrasing Travis Manion, if not us, then who?
That is why I choose to believe in God. That is why choose to hold myself to higher ideals, and that is why I love the Christmas holiday.
It's a time when, in the face of evil, we can remember ideals like goodwill to all and peace on earth, even if they are ideals that might never be reached.
Wherever you are, and whatever you believe, my prayer for you is that you see a deeper meaning for you being here. Not an easy life, but a life that allows you to see all the good you might do if you open your eyes and your heart and dedicate yourself to something bigger than you.
Not just during this Christmas season, not just for a period, but through your life.
Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season to all of you.