"Your Best Life... Later"

Input: "You should avoid the military and and the government altogether."

A few minutes earlier I ran into a sort of mentor youth church leader guy from my high school years.  He is in his early thirties.  Let's call him Sebastian.  Our conversation turned to what I am doing with my life now that I have graduated, and I gave him the short answer of "I have applied to the Shreveport Police, and I am thinking about the military."  During his reply it was clear he had very strong feelings about the military, the government, and the "end times."  All in all he said that there is so much corruption and evil in the government from Satanic chaplains to the simple fact that Obama is the president (not for the color of his skin I'm guessing, but for his policies; Sebastian is also black), that it would be in my best interest to do something else.  Knowing my degree, he said there is a lot of money in computers.  First, I am not in it for the money.  If I was... er... um... well, I would probably still be in computers.  I know others who are, but I don't particularly care to be told about money and that mindset from a Christian for reasons out of the scope of this blog.  Second, his statements only seemed to encourage me to be a part of public service.  As I Christian, I believe it to be a good thing to go where Christ is needed -- maybe even most needed (if one can weigh one area to be in need more than another).  The avoidance attitude, I feel, will only lead to holy huddles.  Third, as a Christian I believe that I should not do one thing or another based on if I think it is in my best interest. How did Jesus say that?  "1.) Love the Lord with your heart, soul, and mind. 2.) Love your neighbor as yourself and 3.) Do what is in your best interest." I don't think so.  I am under the conviction that my "best life" isn't now, and this life or the next isn't about me.  Anyways, I wanted to tell him this and see what he thought (I see it as my duty to, so that Christians keep each other in check), but I froze with clasped teeth, a frog in my throat, and a knot in my stomach.  That's an exaggeration, but I was disappointed in myself because I missed the opportunity to engage in healthy conflict.  I am constantly working on trying to engage in conflict (I've always avoided it in the past), but maybe if I did get the words out of my mouth, I was going to get interrupted anyways.  It happened many times this afternoon.  I don't particularly like being interrupted (who does?) because I feel like the interrupter doesn't have an interest in what I have to say (I am not saying Sebastian is a habitual interrupter or was it my goal in this blog to make him look worse or me look better as a Christian, just trying to analyze the surface conversation in which he has developed his convictions over many years for one reason or another, and I don't pretend to understand all of his convictions from a five minute conversation), but back on subject: Is this avoidance strategy stinkin' thinkin'? Or did I miss the third greatest commandment?