I’m not a sports fan, so comparing spirit with a sports metaphor is lost on me. Nevertheless, one incident from several years ago piqued my interest.
During the height of the Iraq War, some Southeastern Conference Coaches went on a USO tour to boost spirit. One SEC coach came back and vowed never to compare football with battles or war again. The coach indicated that football is just a game. Barring an infrequent unintentional mishap, everyone goes home at the end of the day.
The soldiers were “playing for keeps." So is the Convention of States movement. But we’re not vying for a championship trophy. We’re striking out to recapture the soul of our nation. We are sword-deep in an ideological battle to bring back the spirit of this republic.
Ancient examples of the use of spirit in winning battles abound. Rommel’s Attacks, Von Clausewitz On War, and Machiavelli’s The Prince are just a few of history’s philosophers that include the importance of spirit applied in military and political realms.
The fight in each state needed to initiate an Article V convention is a contest of spirit. Now that we are gaining ground on the battlefield, the opposition will liberally apply money, power, and propaganda as ammunition in its attempt to derail our movement.
I submit these quotes from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War:
“Wu Tzu puts "spirit" first among the "four important influences" in war: "The value of a whole army—a mighty host of a million men—is dependent on one man alone: such is the influence of spirit!"
The great general Li Ching (A.D. 571-649) has a saying: "Attacking does not merely consist in assaulting walled cities or striking at an army in battle array; it must include the art of assailing the enemy's mental equilibrium."
Our goal is not centered on opposing viewpoints or tearing down the ideological walls of the political adversaries who oppose us. Reasonable people will take down those walls as they become educated.
Some with opposing viewpoints are good people, who see the world in a different way. Political adversaries will use whatever means to destroy our spirit, factionalize, and misrepresent our purpose.
The Convention of States movement counters these tactics with education, honest debate, and an unflagging willingness to stand up and be heard. We must reinforce each other with our collective spirit as brothers and sisters, comrades and state tribes to dissipate the blows ahead.
If we can stand together and debate factually and honestly, we will prevail. At the same time we will bring together like-minded Americans, whose goal is not an intransigent status quo but a move forward with enshrined and proven American ideals, values, and principles. We will be kind, we will be true to ourselves, and we will be informed citizens.
With each new state that passes the COS resolution, the opposition will be more determined to rewrite history. They may attack us on a personal level and attempt to degrade our spirit. We can only fail when we become dejected, spirit-depleted individuals.
As states join together in purpose, our spirit must not only remain steadfast but also rise to meet new challenges. Standing together and supporting each other across the nation to reinforce our will with spirit will enable us to reach our goal of a refreshed republic.
