I’m thinking of George Washington, in that long period of partial victories and fighting retreats. How must he have felt? If he lost–which must have seemed certain, often–he would be hung, as would some or all of his men. He had no ability to feed them effectively. He had no promises he knew he could keep.
He kept Joseph Addison’s Cato by his bed, along with the Bible. I have Cato on my shelf, and would recommend everyone read it. The very prose evokes a much more heroic, much more serious era. “Give me liberty or give me death” was a quote Patrick Henry stole from it.
Cato kills himself, rather than submit to Caesar. He does in fact choose death. I suspect Washington had a similar intent, and that fact may well have kept him going in what were no doubt some EXTREMELY gloomy hours.
We remain, all of us, comfortable physically. We are anxious about what MAY happen, but my god if life were certain what would be the point of living it? The VERY BEST may happen too.
I have morning courage and afternoon anxiety. This is plainly true. It is hard to be positive when you are tired. But my physical state does not in any way affect the reality. The reality is that we still have a Congress–the ascent of Caesar meant, of course, the functional end of the Roman Senate and thus Republic–many honest judges, and a military that WILL NOT support Obama in a coup. Historically, you need an Army, and he doesn’t have one. Lenin had one. Mao had one.
What Obama is going to do to us is simply a slow drip, drip, drip of decline. Nothing big. Unemployment lines will get longer, paperwork will get more complicated, taxes will go up, businesses will shut down, access to healthcare will diminish, etc.
But if you think about what many of us took for granted as kids–for example, no central air, and virtually NEVER eating out–then a return to that might be of benefit to the young of today, who feel so entitled.
When I am analytical, I must admit there is ample reason for hope. We fear the worst–and the worst may be what happens–but the likelihood is that determined work and organizing will have predictable effects.
Go to it.