On Optimism and Victory

[longship]

In spite of the six years of desolation and destruction of the ChimpCo administration, I have to remain optimistic that this country will do the right thing, even if it is not now, even if things take a turn for the worse this November. This is the only way I have to cope with the sense of horror that resides in my soul these past years.

I know how many of you are hurting. I see it in your faces, or at least in your posts. Things are indeed desperate for us. And things may indeed get worse before they improve. Myself, I think I'll go completely insane if we can't triumph in November. Were it not for my family and my friends, especially those here at DU, I would likely already have been ready for the rubber room.

We all see the dangers around us. We have an enemy who is cunning and determined to destroy us. Our movement is suffering from a thousand cuts from as many different directions. But, that should not stop us from continuing to fight with all our vigor.

The Internet is an incredible tool for activists. We've been using it very effectively these past years to bring the battle forward to the enemy. However, the effectiveness of this tool has also made it possible for some to bring despair to the battlefield. On the eve of a possible great victory this is something we can ill afford.

There was another time, in another place, when a people suffered under similar desperate circumstance. Maybe we can all learn a lesson in optimism by looking into the past and hearing and reading what one particular individual did to keep the battle going in the face of horrific events. I speak of Britain during the two years when they stood absolutely alone against Germany. At that time they did not shirk their duty to fight back. They did so in a most spectacular way.

It's October 29, 1941. Britain stands alone against Germany. In spite of recent positive events in the Battle of Britain, there are plentiful worries that things could turn dramatically worse at any moment. The entire country is, in effect, under siege and being overtaken by events. Many were afraid. Many others were despondent. Winston Churchill had long since realized that without hope his entire country might not hold out.

On that date, Churchill gives his periodic speech to the students and faculty at Harrow School, where he attended as a boy. He uses this opportunity to give one of his most optimistic speeches of his career. From that speech there are two paragraphs which show what it takes for a people to triumph at a time that the whole world around them had crumbled into absolute chaos. Is there something here for us DUers? I share this with you in the hopes that we can stick together and work even more dilligently to defeat these bastards.

You cannot tell from appearances how things will go. Sometimes imagination makes things out far worse than they are; yet without imagination not much can be done. Those people who are imaginative see many more dangers than perhaps exist; certainly many more than will happen; but then they must also pray to be given that extra courage to carry this far-reaching imagination. But for everyone, surely, what we have gone through in this period - I am addressing myself to the School - surely from this period of ten months this is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. We stood all alone a year ago, and to many countries it seemed that our account was closed, we were finished. All this tradition of ours, our School history, our songs, this part of the history of this country, were gone and finished and liquidated.

Very different is the mood today. Britain, other nations thought, had drawn a sponge across her slate. But instead our country stood in the gap. There was no flinching and no thought of giving in; and by what seemed almost a miracle to those outside these Islands, though we ourselves never doubted it, we now find ourselves in a position where I say that we can be sure that we have only to persevere to conquer.

Emphasis mine.

DUers! We must never, never, never give in.

I posted this speech this weekend and it got one response. I have reformatted it and added some commentary in the hopes that it gets better response today.

Much love to you all.
Thank you for indulging my preaching.

Here is Churchill's 1941 Harrow speech in its entirety:
Never Give In, Never, Never, Never
From "The Churchill Centre" Web Site.

Here is that speech in its entirety in MP3 audio. This was recorded by Churchill after the war as part of his memoirs and the publishing of his Nobel Prize winning book series, "The Second World War".
These are great days
(MP3, 1.7MB, 4:13 -- Click to stream or Right-click and "Save as...")

[grasswire]

1. K&R

Thanks for the reminder.

Never, never, never.

[longship]

2. Shameless self kick.

:kick: