Some people won't go the extra mile, and then on their birthday, when no one makes a fuss, they feel neglected and bitter.
If you let your fear of consequence prevent you from following your deepest instinct, your life will be safe, expedient and thin.
The poetry of heroism appeals irresistibly to those who don't go to a war, and even more to those whom the war is making enormously wealthy. It's always so.