Getting Ready Emotionally (1951)

[Music] [Music] When you're in high school, you don't have too much trouble getting along. Oh, you have your ups and downs. Things happen. But you know pretty well what you can and can't do. There isn't very much about your life at school that's too difficult emotionally. You know pretty well what to expect. Yes. Most of the time, high school is a pretty comfortable place compared to this. When you're in service, you're going to have to find out again what you can and can't do. You won't know just what to expect. You'll have lots of adjustments to make. Sure, a situation like this is rough. But what are you going to do? You can't cut class and you can't quit. And you can't talk back. Or if you do, this man just hasn't been able to adjust himself to taking orders. That's a pretty important part of military life, you know. It's one of the big adjustments you're going to have to make. Have you ever fired a rifle? For some people, it's fun. But fun isn't what you're training for in service. This is business. The business of life or death. Military training is education for war. Most of us hate war and the very idea of combat and violence. That's another big adjustment you'll have to make. Have you ever been homesick? Maybe you thought you never would be. When was the last time you cried? You'll say, "You got to stop this. You're a man now, not a kid. But you can't help missing mom and dad and your friends back home and the things you were used to back in high school where life was pretty comfortable. That's another adjustment you're going to have to make. In time, this fellow will be okay. But when he entered service, he wasn't ready emotionally for the big change. How about you? Are you going to be ready when the time comes for you to meet these new situations? Will you be ready to obey orders and comply with military discipline? Will you be ready to take your part in education for war? Will you be ready to stand on your own away from your family and friends? How about it? Can you make these adjustments without an emotional upset? Starting now, there's a way for you to get all this in perspective. Take stock of yourself. Think, well, how do I stack up emotionally? How about last week? Jim was giving out free advice about how to improve my grip. I didn't take it very well. I don't like criticism. How about taking orders? What about the time I was all dressed up for that big date? So, the car wasn't washed. Well, I should have seen to it. Why I blame dad? Who's going to do my work in service? The other day, Jane was playing dress up with mother's shoes and my baseball cap. Lose my temper easily, don't I? And then there was the accident. Boy, did I get worked up. Real panicky. Let's face it, I sure need a lot of self-discipline before I enter service. That's right. Take stock of yourself and then take action. You'll need time, but you can help yourself. An assignment is going up on the board. Orders from the teacher to the class. But you don't much like taking orders. It annoys you when people tell you what to do or how to do something. All right. Now, you can slip by most of the orders you get. But do you want to go on that way? Later on, taking orders will be expected of you, demanded of you. So, now's the time to start practicing. Consider all your assignments as orders and make it your business to follow them. Try to understand the real purpose and what your part is and why the orders have to be followed to achieve that purpose. If you consider suggestions, advice, assignments as orders now, you'll adjust easier later on. Another part of getting ready for military discipline is developing self-discipline. If you usually duck your responsibilities, it'll pay you to start changing your ways. If there's a job to be done, get it started. Take on responsibility for getting certain things done around the house, at school, in your community. Even if it's a job you don't like, stick it out. Learn to take it. As long as it's your job, do it. Do your best at the jobs you take on and take on new jobs. Look for things that you can be responsible for. Discipline yourself. Plan to do things, then do them. Later on, you'll have plenty of responsibilities that you'll have to manage. Learning to accept them now will help you over a big hurdle. Later on, you'll find it easier, too, if you've had some experience now being away from home. Have you ever gone off on a summer job with your friends and spent a night in the city on the way? You had a lot of problems, didn't you? Just being on your own. Being limited to the amount of money you could spend, having to make all your own decisions, having to make all your own arrangements. While you were away, your folks missed you. Sure. But both they and you feel more confident now about that time later on when you'll be away from home for a much longer period. Maybe you're thinking and worrying about combat, the violence, and the dangers. Well, think about the men you know who have been through military service. Even though they served many of them in wartime, few saw combat. Few had to use their combat training to defend their own lives. And very few of them were wounded. Think about it. Take the problem to church if you need help. Talk it over there. Get yourself straightened out. Yes. Get yourself ready emotionally so that when you're away from home, you can adjust to the new situation. Get yourself ready to take your part in education for war. And get ready for discipline and the military situation in general. Learn how to take it for life in the service can be rough or it can be an interesting new experience. Remember others have been in service and made out all right. In fact, many millions of fellows like you have faced the same problems and met them successfully. And you can too, even better than they have. If you start now to get ready emotionally for what lies ahead. [Music]