When Everything Seems Lost, Recall Old Law

When everything seems lost… is when things turn. True in physics, and in human relations. Not all lost causes are found, but not all that seem lost are. Now is a good time to recall the old law.

Just when water seems that it will never boil or freeze, it does. Just when another stone seems inconsequential, no importance, the scale tips. Just when the sky seems darkest, you get sunrise.

When George Washington and his rabble narrowly escaped the tip of Manhattan in a God-delivered fog – later to surge at Trenton, Princeton, Saratoga, Yorktown, and prevail – no British officer imagined they had a chance, or that one stone – that escape – would tip the balance.

When Grant won at Vicksburg, Mead at Gettysburg, Eisenhower at Normandy, Patton at Bastogne, MacArthur at Inchon, Reagan the Cold War, the deciding factor was as resolve. Going in, things looked dark, odds as against as for. None of those were inevitable victories.

Now … wind the clock forward. What do you see? A culture war has beset America. We are in a battle for the high ground. A titanic contest is afoot, for truth and preservation of the Republic. Since we are human, there is a natural tendency to say, “I am tired,” or “What the hell,” or “Maybe we should forget it,” or just depart what we know and throw the towel.

Do not. Do not even think it. What has always counted still does – including persistence. Today, the Republic’s moral fiber, rule of law, natural rights, constitutional institutions, honesty in government, fidelity, honor, never mind math and biology, still count. Of course they do!

We will either prevail, as Washington, Grant, Mead, Eisenhower, Reagan, and this nation has before, resolving to pursue truth until we restore common understanding and purpose – or we will the watch the Republic slide. Are we willing to let it slide? I think not.

Do we really want ours to be the generation that gave up on the project, preservation of freedom’s beacon, education of those who do not understand until, at last and in the fullness of time, they do? This leg of the race is ours to run, we need to run it – hard, no thought of failure.

So many times in history, it is not the vocal, pushy, arrogant, ideological, or frenetic who win, but the surefooted, those determined to see freedom’s cause prevail, long-striding and persistent, the ones who can envision what should be, who know truth, and pursue it doggedly.

In our day, we get told to accept our culture’s diminished stature, even degradation, absence of absolutes, end of free speech, faith, self-defense, decency, protected homes, and morality. Bunk.

We are told to throw out what works, including honoring higher values and sacrifice – of all kinds in all times – by those who made this nation what it is. We are encouraged to accept immoral absolutes, imposed the enlightened few, “woke” jokers, sure that everything they got is free. Bunk.

If you doubt yourself because you dare to keep on keeping on, because you still value character, honor, honesty, integrity, service, and this nation’s imperfect but unparalleled history – take heart, you are on the side of all that counts, have no doubt.

Doubt is what enemies of those values want you to think of. They want you to imagine the great law of truth does not exist, that no law exists. Water does not freeze or boil, a stone cannot tip the scale, and all those American victories – keeping freedom alive – were flukes. Bunk.

Here is the thing: These truths and laws are not flukes. They are proof that truth, if we will hold it dear, nor give up on it, believe in it and grip it hard – as if our lives depended on it – wins.

What this means right now is that we must – individually and together – keep our focus, fidelity to what we know is true, love of this truly great and good country, resolve to keep educating. We must honor those who did all this before, and then do it again, different context but same fight.

When everything seems lost… is when things turn. True in physics and in human relations – the old laws hold. They do if we will just recall them, hold tight to them, stay in the fight for them. Primacy of truth is one clear law. Dark times appear in all lives, and they are frustrating. Seeing an absence of honesty, integrity, accountability, and leadership galls the best of us. But “the sun also rises.” Now is a good time to recall that, and resolve never to lose the horizon.

Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, attorney, and naval intelligence officer (USNR). He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (2018), and is National Spokesman for AMAC.