On Tuesday, June 14, the Senate voted to require women between the ages of 18-25 to register for the draft. The vote was practically unanimous at 85 for and 13 against. For anyone paying attention, this vote shouldn’t come as a shock. Women are now allowed to serve in combat units, which, quite frankly was a much greater step in military service equality than requiring women to register for a draft that hasn’t been used since 1973. Today, our military is completely volunteer based, and there’s no reason to think anyone, man or woman, will be involuntarily called to serve anytime soon. However, these headlines caused me to explore a related but different thought: Why aren’t we all required to put in a year or two of service after high school?

I know the aversion felt by most people in the United States when our government mandates anything in the “land of the free,” but I ask you to hear me out. A mandatory military stint would provide our country with many benefits, both as a whole and on the individual level. Here are some reasons I think it might not be a bad idea.

1. Most Teenagers Have No Idea What They Want To Do Anyways

Most of us have grand ideas about what we want to do with our lives at 18, and I do mean that in the plural. Most of us change our minds quite a few times before we settle on a career path, and even more of us will end up switching careers once or more throughout our lives. And honestly this indecisiveness is mostly unavoidable. It has nothing to do with being raised correctly or coming from this or that background.

Put quite simply, you need to have time to develop into the person you will be before you know what's best for you. So instead of racking up student loans pursing the wrong thing, dropping out of college because you weren't ready to go in the first place, or floating in the work force with no experience or skills to offer, why not serve the country and rack up some new experiences in the military?

2. Unity, Something We Desperately Need

The United States has a unity problem. The irony is our country was built on the idea of people with different beliefs and morals having a country where they can live freely and safely. We should be supporting everyone's choices to live a life true to themselves (the American life), but instead we are getting bogged down in our differences. Many times people with deeply held beliefs can't see past another person's choice to live in a different way. By focusing so much on one characteristic of one group, it makes it easy to vilify an entire group of people when they really are just people making choices (just like yourself).

A gay man isn't just a gay man, he can be anything any man can be: Son, uncle, father, brother, friend, employee, boss, coach, etc. Basically, we need to remember what's the same so that what's different isn't such a big deal... especially since there are going to be infinitely more things we have in common. By serving alongside people of different races, sexes, and backgrounds in a system that treats everyone equally, seeing how we are the same should make handling our differences much easier out in the real world... especially when everyone has a common experience to relate to one another with.

3. Learn Basic Skills

I don't care who you are, there are some skills that you will always be better off for. Things like professionalism, discipline, responsibility, communication skills, basic math skills, and TEAMWORK are traits we should all have, but it's surprising to me how many people lack them. I think that if a military stint became mandatory, then it would really give us the chance to drill in some basic skills many people are lacking, especially teamwork.

4. Get Fit

I don't think much needs to be said about this. Our country has an obesity problem. A couple years of mandatory fitness could really help people live healthier lifestyles in the long run by letting them experience how much better it feels to live in a strong, capable body. A healthier population means healthcare costs go down for all of us. The endorphin high is something everyone should experience.

5. Build Confidence

There are many jobs available in the military and requiring mandatory stints would probably create even more diversity in positions available. Not everything needs to be about guns and explosions because not everyone is cut out for guns and explosions. I think a mandatory stint in the military would allow young people to work a meaningful job (instead of slinging burgers) and get a taste of how good it can feel when you are entrusted with responsibility and overcome challenges.

That being said, I don't think this is something we could implement tomorrow, but it's certainly not something that should be condemned before we even talk about it. Our military has problems, and I'm not here saying it's a perfect system. Quite frankly, the way many people are treated for being different in the military is deplorable. But a lot of positive can come from working alongside people who you usually wouldn't have the chance to meaningfully interact with.

We need to see each other as people instead of labels, and I can't think of anything that would bond people faster than going through the rigors of training together... because when you're dragging your ass out of bed a 4 a.m. to run drills in the middle of a storm, that person beside you isn't the gay guy or the black girl, they're the person who knows exactly how you feel. And they're the person you end up trusting the most because they had your back on your worst days. I'm not saying this idea will make our country one of unicorns and rainbows, but the simple idea of learning to trust those who are different would be a huge step in the right direction... and that's the direction we desperately need to be moving in.