Choose your battles … but once you choose fight with all diligence.
In all great struggles be they public or private there is a prioritization of conflict and battle. To ensure victory this often requires leaving some uncomfortable or even compromising situations left unsettled initially.
In the formative years of the United States the colonies had little or no Naval strength. In that day nations with strong Navies ruled the world. In order to protect precious cargo to and from other parts of the world, the US congress authorized funds for bribes to be paid to Moroccan pirates for protection. While this was a common practice it certainly instigated hearty debates with our ethically sensitive forefathers.
John Adams told Thomas Jefferson regarding the pirates, “We ought not fight them at all, unless we determine to fight them forever.”
This certainly is being played out in our time with the ongoing battle against terrorism. What areas of our struggles should the tough call be made to wait to fight another day while we focus on the critical battle at hand?
Tags: Compromise, history, John Adams, Prioritization, trade-off