Be All You Can Be:

I remember Physical Education class in school. It was interesting to me but agonizing to some. Our PE teacher was memorable, Mr Oesterhuizen wherever you may be today, Sir I tip my hat to you. I recall a particular period of PE in 1995 when for reasons unbeknown to me at the time our little troop of 7th graders were about to fall in for boot camp. "Line up," shouted our instructor, "space arm to shoulder to your right," he continued, "counting off jumping Jack's." First set of ten done, no problem. "Down, counting off push-ups." Ten push-ups for anyone takes effort, the troop started grumbling. "AGAIN!" Again what?
Now if I've learned anything from military films there is always a hard-ass in the group to challenge the old school instructor; The Dirty Dozen, Full Metal Jacket, Major Payne. We had David Bowe. "One for Sir," came from the end of the row, David was three boys down from me. Seven push-ups in, David still counting them off, when our grumbles turned to protest. "AGAIN!"
This was getting serious, like sweat beads on our faces serious as we started the third set of push-ups with the sun beating down on our backs. Reaching number 5, David still sounding off every count, the message was coming down the line, "shut the hell up David." Alas he didn't. This battle continued, push-ups became sit ups became short sprint drops became squats. Thirty minutes of healthy physical activity, a moment of silence in the heat and the sweat. The experience best understood in adulthood illustrated the dynamics of social standing the modern age can't comprehend. The cancel culture Nazis would tear this practice apart but it never put any of us to harm, we weren't oppressed or abused or persecuted, the none suffered injury, none suffered trauma. To your generation this was character building. Stark contrast between Gen X and the non binary joke. So what was the lesson learned?
Respect. A universal virtue given and received. This wasn't an exercise in opposition, teacher enforcing discipline upon students, hardly needed when there is mutual respect. In every instance of the scenario the hard-ass opposed to the true grit isn't the point, each see opportunity to show the other mutual respect. A lesson no millennial is learning. So I, a gen-x asshole and proud of it, will be paying this lesson forward to the millennial generation in my charge because their lack of common decency disturbs me and I hold full dominion over the wifi access at home. This weekend will be fun, push-ups optional.