Living in Hope

unarmed and stood calmly before his enemies. Then with great composure he unbuttoned his coat and bared his chest. In a voice charged with emotion, he addressed the great throng of soldiers—many of whom had served under him in the past: “‘Which one of you is willing to fire at the naked chest of his father?’ The battlefield rang with shouts of ‘No one!’” (The Moral Vision, p. 159) Almost all of the soldiers belonging to the enemy camp rushed to the side of Napolean, who emerged victorious and once more ascended the throne of France. If, in the destitute state he was in at that time, he had attempted to do battle with the French army, he would surely have been slaughtered on that very battlefield. Whatever a man’s resources, if he has to deal effectively with a situation, he must be able to make a proper assessment of it. And he will not be able to do this if he panics in the face of danger. It is only if he does not lose his nerve and keeps his mind open to what is practical that he will be able to overcome the obstacles in his path. Inevitably, his success depends upon his being able to make a wellconsidered choice of whatever material and mental resources are available to him and then putting them to proper use. History abounds in instances of the weak overcoming the strong, simply by strategic