In Act IV, Scene 3 of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar,
there is a dialogue between Brutus and Cassius about whether to attack or
defend. The safe course is to defend and
cause the enemy to expend his forces in greater number than the defender.
But the only chance of victory is to advance when everything
is in place. The only chance of
achieving great things is not to hesitate when the time is right. This did not work out for either of the two
men conversing in the play or on the actual plains near Philippi.
Octavian, better known in the Christian world as Caesar
Augustus, would be the ultimate winner of the 4 men contending to succeed Julius
Caesar as Emperor of Rome. But consider
now the words of Brutus as penned by Shakespeare before the battle near
Philippi.
Under your pardon. You
must note beside,
That we have tried the
utmost of our friends,
Our legions are
brim-full, our cause is ripe.
The enemy increaseth
every day.
We, at the height, are
ready to decline.
There is a tide in the
affairs of men,
Which, taken at the
flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the
voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows
and in miseries.
On such a full sea are
we now afloat,
And we must take the
current when it serves
Or lose our ventures.
The cause failed.
Antony and Octavian defeated Brutus and Cassius, then Octavian
subsequently defeated Antony. Causes
fail, battles are lost, men die.
But how many have died never trying? How many people go to their graves having
never given a great cause a chance.
Today, we are on the verge of taking a chance. We have a new president elect. We have the current establishment pledged to
a professional transition. We have the
best opportunity that this nation has had in many decades to bring back what I
can only characterize as the pioneer spirit.
We as a nation once had a hardiness to us. We expected struggles in our lives. We sought to overcome them. We moved west to conquer the wilderness.
Now so many seek to see what they can get for nothing. They pour out vitriol online. They demonize those who oppose them, which we
understand somewhat in the middle of the fight; but now that this round is
over, it is time to heal, support the victor for a time, and accomplish what
can be done in a political system not designed for efficiency but to make
difficult the accumulation of power in a single man or group.
But there is a tide in the affairs of men when things must
be accomplished for inaction surrenders to mediocrity.
There is a tide in the affairs of men and high tide is
almost here. Our elected officials who
have done little but demean the offices to which they were elected to serve the
people, must set aside pettiness and do the work of a statesman. They must serve those who sent them to represent
us all. They must reject personal
interest and embrace the attitude of a servant.
There is a tide in the affairs of men. Get the protests and bickering out of your
system now. Embrace that change has
come. Consider that most democracies do
not survive beyond 200 years. Understand
that the republican nature of our democratic desires keeps us afloat beyond the
historical model. But know that our
liberty and our hope diminish in continued acrimony.
There is a tide in the affairs of men. It is time to move beyond our state of divisiveness
to a time of unity and action.
To all who have been elected to serve, now is the time to
truly serve your nation. Put aside
selfish differences and do what is best for America. Your children’s children have placed their
futures in your hands.
Be faithful to God and this fantastic idea that we know as
America. Do not hesitate to do the right things for this is the right time.
