A person's life should be lived so that, when looking back, they feel neither regret for wasting their years nor sorrow over having accomplished nothing.
Many years from now, you'll be proud to have taken part in this world war. It will give you something to boast about. As you sit by the fireplace, your grandson will ask, "Grandpa, what did you do in that war?" You won't have to lift him onto your knee, clear your throat awkwardly, and mumble, "Well... Grandpa spent those years shoveling manure on a farm in the countryside." Instead, you can hold your head high, look him in the eye, and proudly reply, "Grandson, in those years, Grandpa fought on the battlefields defending the Empire, side by side with the 603rd Magic Navigation Air Mobile Brigade and all the Empire's glorious magical girls!!"
From The Empire's Iron Eagles, address at the oath-taking rally, Imperial Calendar Year 763
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