Breaking the Cycle.

"The curse missed opportunities."-Chris Martin

I just noticed noticed something, a few minutes ago. My brother and I have broken what our father famously calls the "Cain curse".

For the past four generations of men on my father's side, each and every one of them had entered the military by age seventeen and my brother and I are the first ones in over one hundred years of the "tradition" to never join the military.

I feel proud because the truth is, it is a curse. With the exception of our father, every one of the men on his side, had fought in a war.

Even on my mom's side, my grandfather fought in Korea and my grandmother's father fought in World War II.

But for the first time since blacks were able to join the military, my brother and I are the only ones to break the cycle of enlistment.

In some weird way, I feel as if my brother and I have opened a new uncharted territory of life. When it comes down to the bottom line, no man in decades within our family have lived their lives without going into either the Army or Marines.

This is a pretty special revelation, I guess. Seeing as how, I don't believe the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan are wars to protect the country, opposed to protecting rich fucks' oil profits, I'm happy that I haven't joined the military and I'm even happier that my brother hasn't joined either.

Our cousin, the asshole, did join though, about ten years ago. As you all know, he fought in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Now, like the fool that he is, works for the corrupt government-funded constuction company in Iraq: KBR, Inc. 

In all honesty, my cousin is a dick. Not just for joining the military and letting them brainwash his head with all of their shit, but for aiding the military expansion of the United States into the middle east. What a dumbass.

Anyway, it feels good to have broken the "Cain curse". If I have children one day, maybe they'll keep the new cycle going too....