Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.
The term “never leave a fallen comrade” is often used in the U.S. military to honor commitment and develop strong bonds between service members. It is a promise that, despite how long it takes or how dangerous it may be, every soldier will return home.
The phrase has since evolved into “never leave a wounded soldier” and is used as a drinking tactic. The beer is the wounded soldier, and not finishing it means leaving poor Modelo to die on the battlefield. It sounds ridiculous because it is.
Now picture this: You are on vacation with your family and order a piña colada for dinner one night. Forty-five minutes later, you’re about three-fourths of the way through the drink when it starts to look like a “no glue, no borax” slime recipe made with Suave shampoo and table salt. Naturally, you think to yourself: This looks foul — almost radioactive. So you casually share your opinion of the drink with your family, and instantly, the blare of “don’t leave a wounded soldier behind” fills your ears.
Imagine how you would react: utter shock, confusion and a tiny bit of disgust. At least, that’s how I reacted. I had no clue what the hell was going on.
As I tried to understand and connect the strange analogy, I realized that some people view life through completion, whereas I view mine through satisfaction. Maybe I should have finished the drink because it was wasteful, and someone took their time to make it for me. But I drank as much as I could without feeling gross, and that’s what matters.
If you constantly push yourself to finish every single thing, you will overdo everything. If you strive to always finish every little task, you will never complete anything to the best of your ability. Your energy will be drained, and your whole life will be half-assed.
If you repeatedly eat every scrap of food off your plate and slurp every drink until it makes that annoying suction, gulping noise because you feel obligated to, then stop. You hold no obligation to anyone except yourself. If you’re starving, then great — finish your plate. But if you’re just not feeling it, don’t make yourself clean the plate.
Eating until you are full will make your body feel happier and healthier. But reaching extreme fullness leads to unwanted weight gain and, over time, metabolic syndrome. This increases heart risks, strokes and type 2 diabetes. The key to managing satisfaction with eating and drinking is to ensure you feel OK to stand and move, take breaks while consuming, check your breathing and let yourself feel nourished, not stuffed.
Pushing yourself to completion doesn’t only affect your eating and drinking habits; it also affects your daily habits. If you overstudy, overwork or overpush yourself to complete something, you will plummet. Overstudying consumes your time but doesn’t allow you to retain any actual knowledge due to mental exhaustion.
The same goes for work and other life activities, resulting in a strain on relationships, work ethic and health. The American Heart Association’s 2026 statistics update notes that stroke deaths have increased among younger adults over the last decade, often caused by persistent stress and burnout.
You can prevent this by simply filling yourself until you feel content. Whether it’s food or work, push yourself until you are satisfied. It’s OK to waste a little bit of food or time when you are sparing your sanity.
Save yourself now because once you get in the habit of overdoing everything, it’s hard to get out. But if you’re already there, then recognize how your body feels afterward. It’s like filling a car with gasoline; if you fill it over its capacity, it destroys the car, pushing it toward explosion. Don’t let yourself explode.
The wounded soldier will be OK.
Reach Charlotte Seymour at letters@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.
