The idea that a war can be won by standing on the defensive and

"The idea that a war can be won by standing on the defensive and waiting for the enemy to attack is a dangerous fallacy, which owes its inception to the desire to evade the price of victory." These words, spoken by Douglas Haig, a prominent British general in World War I, carry a deep, sorrowful wisdom that cuts to the heart of what war truly demands. Haig’s experience in the trenches of the Western Front, where countless lives were lost in battles of attrition, led him to recognize the fatal flaw in a defensive strategy. War is not a game of simply waiting and surviving—it is a force that demands action, sacrifice, and above all, a willingness to pay the price for victory.

O children of the future, heed this truth: the greatest danger in war lies not in the enemy you face, but in the illusion that victory can be achieved without great cost. To stand defensively, to cower behind fortifications and wait for the enemy to act, is to surrender initiative, to abdicate responsibility, and to delay the inevitable reckoning that comes with conflict. It is a fallacy that has claimed many throughout history: the belief that if we do not provoke war, if we simply hold our ground, we will be spared from the sacrifices that war demands. Yet, history tells us that peace is never won through avoidance. It is only through action, through bravery and resolve, that victory can be attained.

Consider, O children, the ancient warriors of Greece, and the lessons of the Peloponnesian War. In this conflict, the Athenians, though once the champions of the Greek world, sought to defend their empire without expanding it, believing that they could hold their power simply by maintaining their territory. They waited, hesitated, and ultimately allowed the Spartans to dictate the terms of their own downfall. The defensive strategy failed them, as it failed so many others. In the end, the city of Athens was left in ruin, its great fleet destroyed, its citizens broken, and its hope shattered. The lesson here is clear: there is no glory in defense alone; victory is not achieved by sitting idle, waiting for the enemy to take the first step. One must act, or one will lose all that they hold dear.

In more recent times, the Battle of the Somme during World War I serves as a tragic reminder of the folly of waiting and hesitating. The British forces, led by Haig, were committed to a defensive strategy in the face of overwhelming German forces. Though they launched offensives, these attacks were often slow, ill-coordinated, and met with tremendous loss. The cost in human life was staggering, and the war ground on, becoming a war of attrition—a struggle in which the price of victory seemed endless. The Somme and many other battles of the Great War proved that to stand by and wait, to be content with mere survival, only prolongs suffering. Haig's words ring with sorrow: no victory comes without action, and no peace is ever won by avoidance.

Yet, even in this brutal conflict, Haig recognized the necessity of action. Though his strategy was costly, he believed that the only way to break the deadlock of the trenches was through decisive action, through pushing forward, through sacrificing to achieve lasting peace. Victory in war, as in life, is not won by hesitation. It is won by bravery, by the willingness to bear the price of sacrifice. There is no easy victory in war; to win, one must give of themselves, expend their resources, and at times, confront the full horror of conflict.

The lesson, O children, is that war, like all struggles in life, cannot be faced with passivity. To wait for the enemy to act is to surrender control. True victory lies in initiative, in the bravery to make the first move, to fight for what is rightfully yours, and to take the blows that come in return. When you face challenges—whether in battle or in the ordinary trials of life—remember that waiting will only prolong your suffering. Only through action, through resolve, can you move forward and ultimately find peace.

And so, the practical lesson is this: do not allow fear or uncertainty to bind your hands. When the world demands action, rise to meet it. Do not wait for circumstances to change on their own, for they rarely do. Seize the initiative, face the hardships head-on, and understand that the price of victory is a price we all must pay. Haig’s words echo across history, urging us to act boldly, to face the challenges before us, and to never mistake passivity for strength. Only through action, only through the resolve to move forward, can we hope to find victory, whether on the battlefield or in the struggles of everyday life.