Tucson, AZ

MONTY : “ I definitely feel more at peace with myself. I would say the Marines helped in many ways. The men and women to your left and right come from all walks of life, but not one of them would hesitate to jump on a grenade if it meant saving the lives of other Marines. To have such a loyal brotherhood coupled with so much diversity really opens your eyes. We had a Marine in my unit who was a Muslim. This was around the time when everyone was freaking out over the Army guy, who was Muslim, and shot up Fort Hood. That was irrelevant to us. We never once looked at our Marine differently. I think the cultural diversity within the Marine Corps along with the diversity experienced while deployed around the world really helps people get a better idea of what is around you rather than what the media and what we’re raised to believe distracts you with. It distracts you from yourself and your own experience. Exposure brings change and growth which eventually help make a person happier.

I grew up in a few religions, one of them particularly impacted me and may areas of the world. It was through this religion that I realized how many misconceptions there are. This religion accused other ones of being a certain way or vice-versa. At one point, I also realized that I did not agree with everything being taught. Every book has good points, but that doesn’t mean that the entire book has to be believed. I searched for more information about the concept of our consciousness existing and actually being able to physically affect our bodies, things like Yoga and meditation. When we have science saying that there is something remarkable happening during meditation or even when Monks practice Qigong, it’s hard to ignore that. How can people from different religions and background both be able to control their mind and body so well? That’s when I discovered my spirituality and I am really glad that I did. “