Tuesday; July 14
As I watched our nation
celebrate our 250th birthday under the intense heat, my mind was
drawn to President Zachary Taylor. While
he isn’t one of our best known presidents (he only served a little more than a
year), the events surrounding his death are rather remarkable. During a particularly warm Independence Day
celebration in 1850, President Taylor ate some cherries and drank some milk. Not long afterwards, he became ill and passed
away on July 9. It wouldn’t surprise me
if the “cherries and milk” observation hasn’t taken on a life of its own and
overshadowed a more disastrous cause, but it does tend to get our
attention.
President Taylor may have
been a short-term national leader, but he had a pretty extensive record as a
military leader. Interestingly, it was
something he said as a warrior that has garnered a lot of attention. In bringing a resolution to the
Mexican-American War, General Taylor noted, “It would be judicious to act with
magnanimity towards a prostrate foe.”. I
don’t know how many military leaders (either today or then) would agree with
his observation, but from a personal perspective, he makes an interesting
point. There are times when we get the
upper hand in interpersonal conflicts – what do we do? When this happens, do we obliterate our
adversary or do we show them graciousness and allow them to save face in their
defeat. It might seem expedient to “pile
on”, but it is more humane to “pull back”.
The next time we find
ourselves on the verge of victory, let’s think about our adversary. Are they willing to admit defeat? If so, are we willing to allow them to do so
with dignity?
Think About It!