"The pen is mightier than the sword."
Gee, who hasn't heard that one? But, I don't think it's all that well understood, at least not in this day.
Context, context, context.
That famous quote was realistic in 1776, but in 2003, it rings hollow. Back then people were motivated by those words to TAKE ACTION. And the one who created that quote was alluding to the Biblical concept that the State yeilded the "sword" but that convincing the people of their rightful justice, even the sword of tyranny could be overthrown. Today, the world is awash in words. Both in ink and electrons. You're looking at them now. But, dare I say it, "Talk is cheap." Pacifists (people who don't care if Saddam and his ilk feed people to plastic shredders) want to talk our way to peace.
This recent post by Emperor Misha I got my juices flowing. So, I just had to go on the rant that ensues.
I was always the smallest boy in my class. I've always been mostly a loner. I don't know if it was the I.Q. or the broken home, or a combination of both.
I got picked on a lot during my childhood, but when I hit 15, I'd had enough. I was living in an "orphanage" (not quite, but that's not important. It was a group home setting. Roughly 15 boys to a house. The next bully that decided to use me for fun got a whole world of whup ass delivered on him. He came to my room and started poking his finger in my chest because I had said something that he didn't like. Because he was 3 years my senior and quite bigger, I just picked up a chair and whacked him and then beat on him while he scrambled to get out of my room. The look of shock and awe on his face was priceless and it changed my life. I would never be a "victim" again.
Suddenly, I became the BMFIC (Big Mother F'r In Charge). I wasn't feared by most of the 16 to 18 year olds, but I was left alone by them and kind of idolized by the younger kids. I wanted to kick myself for waiting so long. Did everybody admire or idolize me? Hell no. But, a lot of the guys just whispered, "Don't screw with him, he's crazy." What is true in the microcosm is almost always true in the macrocosm; especially when it comes to human relations. By the time I had become a senior in high school, the younger bullies tried to take their shots at me. I began to learn "diplomacy." Use judicious restraint, but teach the little jerk not to mess with you. Some learned quick. Some were "painfully" ignorant, if you get my drift.
I learned many valuable lessons. You can go through life thinking like a predator or prey. You can either take responsibility for your own security into your own hands, or you can dial 911 after it's too late. This is the difference between the Neville Chamberlains and Bill Clintons of the world and the Winston Churchills and Ronald Reagans and (alas) George W. Bushs.
Reason with an unreasonable bully? Insanity. Bribe a bully? Prepare to go bankrupt. Defeat the bully? He'll want you to think he's your friend and never piss you off again. (Hello, Germany? Japan?)
In my adult years, I had a night job that put me in dangerous places. I carried a sidearm, against company policy, but logic prevailed. Having a pistol could get me fired, but not having one could get me dead. Two times, merely brushing back my vest and putting my hand on the backstrap of the holstered pistol was all it took to cause the "problem" to flee. I did something else just as important. I refused to wear the stupid company uniform. You see, was driving an 18 wheeler at night, from warehouse to warehouse. I wasn't representing the company before customers. Instead, I wore black BDUs (Battle Dress Uniform) with a flack jacket/vest to conceal my paddle holster. Where ever I went, people showed immediate respect and a little wariness. Considering the seedy industrial areas I had to pass through, that worked pretty well. I honestly believe it kept me from having to draw down on or even fire at someone. Lucky for them, because I practice enough to make sure that I can print 8 rounds in under two inches at 30 feet in rapid fire mode.
One time, some guy was abusing a woman in a car travelling next to me. I slowed down to let them get in front of me and put on my high beams to light up the interior. He pulled over, still hitting her in the head. I pulled in behind, jumped out of my truck and was running toward the car but had my 9mm out and shouting to "Get out of the car!" She somehow managed to free herself and get out of the car.
The woman ran across the interstate highway, screaming, as the guy floored it to get away. I got back into my tractor-trailer and wondered if I hadn't saved that woman's life.
Bullies only understand one thing. Force. Once in a very great while, a screenwriter will write a dialogue or even a soliloquy (very rare since Shakespeare), which truly exposes a truth in a dramatic setting. Sometimes, the screenwriter even means to be sarcastic but nonetheless makes the point beautifully for the very opinion he's trying to demean. Case in point: Marine Colonel Jessup on the witness stand in the last few minutes of "A Few Good Men."
“You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something. You use 'em as a punchline.
I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it. I'd prefer you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to.”
Then there is the scene with Sean Connery and Kevin Costner in "The Untouchables." The wise old, greatly experienced man is trying to knock some sense into the eager but naive young fed: (warning: paraphrase) "Here's how you get Capone. If he pulls a knife, you pull a gun. If he sends one of your men to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue."
Lesson? Being prepared and willing to make war far costlier on your enemy can prevent your enemy from risking your wrath.