Discourse

Gaming
The Insurrection brought together every walk of life. The common field was gaming, and that field generated a game, a guild you call it, resurrected in Star Wars Galaxies in 2003. We ventured, quite literally, near and far, to find our guild members always at our side. The events held by The Insurrection, deemed honorable by the Rebellion, were a mockery of the Empire. The common ground of Star Wars fanatics combined with gamers, created a community no competitor could rival. Until their downfall in 2005, with an unfortunate reaction to a game upgrade, where every veteran player agreed to leave. Devastation from the developers brought additional changes, and the overall outlook was, in a nutshell: catastrophic. But The Insurrection, still stands strong today, only now, we spread across several different games, communities and platforms, with one thing in common: gaming.

Military
It's been six years and I haven't even noticed the time, where has it gone? I've always been told that "time flies", but I never truly believed it until this fall, when it hit me. I'm up for my next enlistment soon, do I stay or go? That is the big question, and what is everyone else saying to that question? Where's my bonus? That's what most members of the military are saying. Lateral moves and service changes are becoming extremely popular in this era, as each Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) and service has a different benefit. Must we waste away our skills to the lowest bidder? Why not grab the best deal and run with it? That's what so many have done in the past, must I be so different? This is a common battleground, although the retirement is enticing, and the honor to serve is rewarding, the stress is not. Moving isn't an issue, and never was, nor is it for any service member. It's the deployments that are tearing the military apart. Recruiting is all but nullified and all the services are attempting to increase their numbers in the next few years. This all sounds negative and discouraged, but in fact it's positive and reassuring. Promotions are high, bonuses are up and everyone is moving where they've always wanted to station. Win-win situation? In most cases yes, and if you ask any service member: Stay or go? They'll most likely say: "I'm a lifer."

Boy Scouts of America (BSA)
More than seven years I can count of inactivity from the BSA and all their counterparts. I dedicated 15 years to the BSA and attained the rank of Eagle. I followed my path through the challenges and hardships, and came out on top, everyone was proud. But I wasn't proud, I was expecting to achieve it, as though I had already earned it far before. I had already held positions much higher than my own, and received badges some would say were out of reach. Isn't BSA just a bunch kids playing with matches? Most would definitely say so, but it's a lot more than a lot make it out to be. It's not about the patches, the ranks or the parents; BSA is about the children, building character, making them men, men with decent morals. BSA is often linked to religion, most of the BSA Troops meet at churches, as a church is community and won't charge the Troop to meet there. As an Eagle I can say that BSA is an organization that's overlooked too often, and information is often avoided or misguided by the most in need.