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"The stream of Time, irresistible, ever moving, carries off and bears away all things that come to birth and plunges them into utter darkness, both deeds of no account and deeds which are mighty and worthy of commemoration. . .Nevertheless, the science of History is a great bulwark against the stream of Time; in a way it checks this irresistible flood, it holds in a tight grasp whatever it can seize floating on the surface and will not allow it to slip away into the depths of Oblivion. "
- Anna Comnena (1083-1153), The Alexiad
"I have taken all knowledge to be my province."
- Francis Bacon, 1592
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Do We Have a Glass Jaw?
So I saw "Rocky Balboa today and it was fairly good (more on that in another post, perhaps). One particular bit made me think. Now, I'll say up front that this is me taking from the movie something, by which I mean it isn't necessarily the point the movie intends to make. But that's what we do - we make connections, mental and otherwise, of our own.
At one point in the movie, Rocky is speaking to his son and says:
Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that!
It seems to me that is a question for all of us at the moment, as a nation.
But really I titled this badly. Because as a nation we can take "the big punch" quite well. We proved that (again) on 9/11. In Boxing, "headhunting", going for the big-punch-to-the-head knockout, isn't always wise. It certainly isn't against the U.S.
When hit like that, we react like Rocky, sure enough. That's why our wiser enemies aren't looking to do that kind of thing again.
No, the better boxers go for body shots over time: Weaken an opponents legs by continual, less dramatic blows. That's when you find out if you have the stuff: Do you weaken, and drop? Or do you have the strength to go the distance?
This is what's happening to us now. We're taking an accumulation of smaller blows. So are our opponents. We feel the hits that affect us, but only occasionally (when a memo is intercepted, for example), get a glimpse into how badly our opponents are taking it.
We can throw the biggest punch in the world. But, as the quote says, that's not the test of success. What can we take? When the war in Iraq seemed easy, a lot of people were for it, and the Democrats complained of the "politicization" of it, when Republicans tried to contrast their support with supposedly less-than-full support on the part of the Democrats. Now?
Now the war seems hard, and we're taking an accumulation of hits while not knocking the enemy out. So support has fallen and Democrats are happy to disclaim any responsibility for a war they view not as America's, but as "Bush's problem". All the "wise men" (and women) are saying that the "Realist" thing to do now is to throw in the towel.
Everywhere around the world, the question that is being asked - and answered - is whether we have the legs to go the distance. We know we don't have a glass jaw, but do we have feet of clay?
"Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image ... his feet part of iron and part of clay. ... And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken."
