Rally
Where have all the good men gone?
There’s still a battle to be won,
Yet ranks have dwindled down to none
And those still here are pale and wan.
Away they’ve gone to seek a name,
Their fortune, honor, glory, fame;
But war is here, the evil bane
And none to battle, none remain.
Rally, captains, call your men
That battles may be won again.
Their swords shall gleam, their bows shall bend:
Our armies shall the vict’ry win!
I wrote this poem 6 years ago, and since then have witnessed many "good men" rise and fight their battles in many areas of life. As a new year begins, this sentiment is at the forefront of my mind; how will I engage my enemies and push others to face their own? Am I merely caught up in introspection, or do those thoughts have an end in accomplishing a goal? Am I focusing on a narrow point in the distance rather than facing the battle in front of me?
I generally don't make New Year's resolutions (in the modern sense of the term), but I greatly appreciate understanding what a resolution is and what it can entail. The definitions of "resolution" range from the conceptual to the active: from "the quality of being resolute", to "a firm decision to do or to not do something", to "the action of solving a problem, dispute, or contentious matter". As the year starts afresh, my goal would be to better discern in what areas of my life I am resolved, whether I have that "quality" of being steadfast, and whether my actions are toward the end of solving problems rather than contributing to them. How am I facing the "evil bane" before me, and how can I better defeat it?
Thank you for this stirring call to arms by faith! Greater is He than he who is in the world. A determined minority has wrought wonders.
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