The man with less than five years as Prime Minister, is about to give a speech for the ages. It is 1940, and British Prime Minister has the unenviable task of leading his nation through what could be the darkest time in its history. Before the House of Commons he declares the following:
“Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.”
Years later, long after the defeat of Nazism, these words can still be applied to our current situation. If you look at the long history of man, there is one uniting factor that unites all great events: courage. It was courage that allowed for relegating Nazism to the dustbin of history. It was courage that allowed man to reach the moon. It was courage in the face of danger that allowed for the end of the Cold War and for the beginning of a new era in history. Yet no matter how great the dividend is from investing in courage, it is by no means one that we can rest on. Courage is not one single event that we can use to predict the future, rather it is a continuing cycle of events that we must be prepared to defend. Courage is not an action, it is a way of life. Some are born courageous, yet others learn it. Courage is learned through crisis or triumph. It is learned in life’s deepest valleys and its highest mountains. Courage above all is what it means to be free. Dwight D. Eisenhower once said "For history does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid."
So often in my articles, I discuss the problems which confront us. Yet I do not mean to convince anyone that there is no solution to our problems. For there are no easy solutions but there are simple ones. Unfortunate, being courageous in neither an easy nor a simple answer but it is indeed the right answer. My message this week is simple, if you want to live free, live courageously.
The man with less than five years as Prime Minister, is about to give a speech for the ages. It is 1940, and British Prime Minister has the unenviable task of leading his nation through what could be the darkest time in its history. Before the House of Commons he declares the following:
“Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.”
Years later, long after the defeat of Nazism, these words can still be applied to our current situation. If you look at the long history of man, there is one uniting factor that unites all great events: courage. It was courage that allowed for relegating Nazism to the dustbin of history. It was courage that allowed man to reach the moon. It was courage in the face of danger that allowed for the end of the Cold War and for the beginning of a new era in history. Yet no matter how great the dividend is from investing in courage, it is by no means one that we can rest on. Courage is not one single event that we can use to predict the future, rather it is a continuing cycle of events that we must be prepared to defend. Courage is not an action, it is a way of life. Some are born courageous, yet others learn it. Courage is learned through crisis or triumph. It is learned in life’s deepest valleys and its highest mountains. Courage above all is what it means to be free. Dwight D. Eisenhower once said "For history does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid."
So often in my articles, I discuss the problems which confront us. Yet I do not mean to convince anyone that there is no solution to our problems. For there are no easy solutions but there are simple ones. Unfortunate, being courageous in neither an easy nor a simple answer but it is indeed the right answer. My message this week is simple, if you want to live free, live courageously.
