Taking on the world

A defeated and exiled Napoleon Bonaparte makes a history return from the Island of Elba in March 1815 on the shores near Antibes with only 1,200 men to retake Paris and regain rule over France. This at a time when King Loius XVIII had easy access to more than 120,000 reservists to crush the coup.

Fast forward to more than a century later and we have Fidel Castro, who in 1956 landed in Oriente Province with only 82 men to well, to topple Batista’s rule. Starved, sick, wounded, killed or captured, the numbers soon dwindled to 12 as they fled to the Sierra Maestra mountain range to form their guerrilla operations base.

His words were later to echo “I began revolution with 82 men. If I had to do it again, I do it with 10 or 15 and absolute faith. It does not matter how small you are if you have faith and plan of action.”

Ah yes, two of my favourite generals whom I’m always in awe with. Single-minded determination, fervor and resolute, it is truly mind-boggling what they’ve achieved. And mind you, these aren’t figures of fiction. These are real people in real time whom we all have a historical link with one way or the other through the lineage of humanity.

But aside also from mad and lunatic determination, these two men have very powerful arsenals on their side, apart from guns and such. While bullets may run out, guns jammed and knives blunt, both Napoleon and Castro have the respect of their men as their most powerful weapon, one that is intrinsic yet measures much more powerful than battalions of enemy fire.

Because of the small and sometimes insignificant acts of comradeship between Napoleon and his men, they regarded him as one of them and would readily sacrifice their lives for him. Though the Commander-in-Chief, he was very much as soldier himself and therefore understood their lives, having lived with his men at battlefields throughout his conquest. And when he returned from Elba to retake the country, opposing forces gave up their arms willingly to rejoin him. He went onto become one of the world’s most prolific and respected military leaders.

Likewise, Castro, in implementing guerilla warfare against Batista’s reign, ensured the highest level of discipline among his troops, purchasing for whatever they needed from the population and not taking advantage of the situation to loot and plunder. See, he understood very well that the winning over of the hearts and minds of the people is his greatest undertaking and his greatest asset. Eventually, the country returned the favour by ousting Batista and installing Castro as their leader. He, as we may all be well aware of, went on to become the world’s longest serving leader with close to half a century of rule.

So once again, it is possible for one man to change the world? Hell, why not? We need to remind ourselves again and again that it isn’t the arsenal that matters, it is the most intrinsic of things, the sometimes insignificant things that will ultimately change the world. So, never underestimate the power of goodness, however little, that resides in each of us. The need to see and defend justice and charity for humanity’s sake is good enough a reason to fight for.

That, after all, is what differentiates the convenient followers of the masses and the ones that are destined for glory. We’ve always admired champions, perhaps its time to become one ourselves.