"When I was in the Army, the unit I served in, you could never stop. It was a volunteer unit, and there was a fairly high rate of attrition. The people who stayed through are the people who were either great at it or the people who just didn't know how to stop. And I fell into that second category"

In this quote, Michael Arad reviews his experience serving in a volunteer unit of the Army, providing insights into the characteristics of dedication and determination. His words expose a dual experience of dedication and work, revealing 2 paths that members of his system took to endure: quality and an unwavering, frequently stubborn, decision.

Arad describes a military environment where persistence was essential due to the high rate of attrition-- a term indicating the loss of personnel through resignation or departure. This attrition implies that the environment was challenging, demanding both physically and psychologically. The unit's volunteer nature recommends that people were not persuaded into service; they had chosen this path, bringing a sense of personal objective and voluntary commitment. For that reason, those who remained had compelling factors-- either remarkable ability or ruthless determination.

Arad classifies the survivors of this rigorous experience as belonging to one of two groups. The first includes the "individuals who were either terrific at it", suggesting those who excelled due to their fundamental skill, adaptability, or acquired skill. These individuals likely prospered since of their ability and perhaps a natural affinity for the needs of military life. Their excellence allowed them to endure where others could not.

The second category, to which Arad admits he belongs, makes up those "who simply didn't know how to stop". This expression suggests a profound durability or perhaps a failure to give up, even in the face of substantial difficulties. It talks to a various sort of strength-- less about natural talent and more about tenacity and maybe even obstinacy. Arad appears to indicate a simple acknowledgment that his endurance was not due to superior ability but rather an ingrained decision or a failure to leave.

This reflection can resonate in broader life contexts, where success or endurance typically stems not simply from inherent ability however from relentless effort and commitment even when the path forward is uncertain. Arad's words encapsulate an axiom: in some cases, the decision to keep moving on is as substantial as, if not more than, natural talent or ability.