My Reflections.

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Steel and Stone; A Shenandoah Memoir In Place

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"As it sits, a somber field of sacrifice, graced with the blood of the fallen, the scars a map of the wounded; birds are singing not because they have an answer, but because they have a song, while white-tailed deer find their way across the hallowed fields, in a moment of peace, a bitterly cold day, standing next to silent Union cannons, once a smokey fore bearing of defeat, the Confederate charge a monster they could not withstand, a feeling of grief and helplessness, is unavoidable yet poignant it remains, making a home in the soul"

End of Chapter 6       "A Confederate Ambush"​

​​Empire & Ambition: Ego Versus Duty and Common Sense

The Verdict — Ego Said, Duty Begged

 

Duty and Ego held a three-way conversation with General Alexander, as they do with everyone chasing power. Duty and Common Sense tried to make him stop, look around, and save what men he had left. “After Persepolis, you burned the palace of Xerxes. Greece is avenged. Go home before your pride becomes the next battlefield.” Ego said, “Darius is still alive. Chase him.” Duty said, “You’re blind, and you’re killing us for it.” Common Sense cut in: “Darius is dead. His own men killed him. The war is over.” Ego said, “The Hindu Kush in winter.” Duty said, “Your friend Cletus saved your life at Granicus.” Ego said, “Kill him for saying Philip was a better general.” So he drove a spear through him. Duty said, “Your men are dying in the Gedrosian Desert. There’s no water. This march has no purpose.” Ego said, “Cyrus failed here. Semiramis failed here. If I bring them through, I’m greater than legend.” He brought a quarter of them through. He walked into Babylon with laurels while the desert stayed lined with Macedonian bones. Duty takes inventory. Ego writes poems about the cost.

​                                                                         Middle of Chapter 1  "Alexander: The World Was Not Enough"​​

                                                               The Weight Of Greatness: Leadership Between Duty and  Ambition

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He was alone. The decision before him would determine not only the future of the United States, but the measure of his own character. Ego stepped forward first. "You trusted me when you crossed the Delaware and struck at Trenton. You trusted me when you refused to surrender hope. The people already look to you above all others. Keep the power. History belongs to the strong." Duty answered. "You accepted command to secure the liberty of a people, not to rule over them. The nation still needs stability. See this task through with honor." Common Sense quietly closed the Declaration of Independence and spoke. "The war is over. You have done what was asked of you. Go home to Mount Vernon. Let the nation prove that it can survive without depending on one man. If this republic is to endure, it must rest upon principles—not personalities." Washington listened. The weight before him was not whether he could hold power, but rather a question of whether he possessed the character to lay it down.

​​                                                                               Middle of Chapter 3 George Washington: The Weight of Power​​

 

Joshua Fuller  is the author of  "Steel and Stone, A Shenandoah Memoir of Place",  "Empire & Ambition: Ego Versus Duty and Common Sense",  and  my newest book still in writing, "The Weight of Greatness: Leadership Between  Duty and Ambition"

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