Marines look at things very simply. Even the terribly difficult and complex can be broken down into terms that the average Lance Corporal can understand. This will help you as well. The first book in the way the Marines see life, or rather war (whatever, they're both the same anyway) is Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication 1: Warfighting.
War (Life) is defined as “a violent clash of interests between or among organized groups characterized by the use of military force.” With a little creative extrapolation, this definition can cover just about every situation you're likely to encounter day to day. But what really begins to help us unscrew our lives is to understand life (war) a little deeper. MCDP 1 calls the essence of war “a violent struggle between two hostile, independent, and irreconcilable wills, each trying to impose itself on the other. War is fundamentally an interactive social process.” (Since life is also fundamentally an interactive social process, that's why I've chosen to use the terms war and life interchangeably. As I said, Marines look at things very simply; why keep two definitions in your head when one will suffice?)
There are two fun lessons to draw from this way of thinking. First, life is often about hostile, independent and irreconcilable wills. And when it's not, what's the problem anyway? So you must understand that your dangers, toils, and snares are created by this dynamic.
Second, your job in life is to impose your will upon your opponent, all the while keeping in mind that he or she is trying to do the same to you. How do you do this? Not important right now. We'll get to that. The lessons for today are designed to get you thinking like a Marine and seeing that life (war) is really just like war (life).
