I wrote this last week in reaction to the actions of some on the National and State Political Scene. It seems pertinent.
In World War II, Eisenhower had some talented Generals under his command. Certainly, George Patton was one of, if not the, best. Patton was an avid student of history, he was a military genius. I would venture that without Patton, the result of World War II would be different.
Yet, for D-Day, Eisenhower made a decision with the rest of his staff, to keep Patton on the sidelines. He did this because he knew the Germans would expect Patton to lead any major offensive and they would be tracking his movements. After all, why would the U.S. not use their best general for a pivotal battle?
Eisenhower knew he had to be creative and do something the Nazi’s wouldn’t expect. So, instead of putting Patton at the point of the D-Day invasion, he made him a decoy. He even went so far as to create dummy tanks, planes, and other weaponry and place them in a spot where it would make sense to invade German territory.
Patton was furious. He felt slighted. He felt his genius for battle and all he had done so far in the war was wasted. He complained to Eisenhower. The plan didn’t change. At some point, Patton had to submerge his ego for the cause of winning the war.
We don’t know how he acted as he was being the decoy. Maybe he sulked. Maybe he complained to anyone who would listen.
I don’t think he did. He sucked it up, did his part, and became a major part of the defeat of the most evil enemy the World ever had. Later on his talents came into play in other important battles.
We are at war right now. Some of us know it, some don’t. But as more wake up to what is going on in our government, our military, our schools, our medical system, the recently awakened are joining with us to fight back.
Here’s the problem. Most of us have never had to fight in a battle, much less a war. We are used to polite problem solving when issues come up. It’s quite a bit different deciding where to plant the daffodil bulbs for the garden club than it is deciding how to best fight the tyranny of mask and vaccine mandates, lockdowns, critical race theory being taught in our schools, and all the other actions of the Marxist left.
We think we have lots of time to eradicate what is going on. We don’t. Our country is in critical condition and the “doctors” treating the patient need to decide on treatment ASAP. Ego must be subverted for the best possible course of action.
Problem is, we have been trained to be so polite, so kind, and so inclusive that we are paralyzed. We don’t want to step on toes. We don’t want anyone to feel bad. So, we spend our time on ego massage rather than planning and taking action. And that’s what got us here in the first place.
So you understand, I believe that every person is valuable, that their ideas are important, that all need to be heard. But I also know that we can’t afford to spend time validating and soothing everyone’s ego. And we can’t expect our ego to be validated and soothed all the time either. We must be plain spoken and to the point.
People will get pissed. Some of them may leave the fight. It’s not the perfect scenario, but it will happen. The people who are here for our cause are like Eisenhower’s generals, talented, accomplished, motivated, “A” type people who are used to being in charge.
I’m not immune. Someone points out one of my flaws, my hackles go up. When someone complains about something I said or did, I feel defensive. But then I have to get my ever loving shit together and move past it and play my role. Like Patton, I may have to look at the bigger cause and find a different role than I thought I would have.
And just in case you think I equate myself with Patton’s genius and talent, I don’t. Not even close. If anything, I see my flaws prominently. I question everything I do. I can give you a laundry list of things I do poorly!
Patton had flaws. He was brash, aggressive, and more than likely a narcissist. Eisenhower knew it. And when push came to shove, Ike had to demand that Patton go against his basic nature and do what would win the war. And I am sure there wasn’t a great deal of opinion polling about it. In the end, we won.
So, get in the battle. There will be no ribbons, trophies or certificates of appreciation. No one will send you flowers or pin a medal on your chest. The prize is much bigger than that. It’s knowing you defeated a cancer that is seeking to destroy our country.
Once we do that, we can have all the ego massages and accolades!
