When Napoleon Buonaparte (1769-1821) escaped
from the Island of Elba after his first term of
imprisonment, he was accompanied only by a small
group of loyal soldiers. Once dethroned, he now
again aspired to the throne of France. But in the
very first encounter, he found himself face to face
with 20,000 French soldiers.
Napoleon, although considered one of the most
courageous leaders the world has known, avoided a
direct confrontation with his opponents. He did not
make the mistake of foolishly ignoring his own
military weakness. At the crucial moment, when he
and his little band of men stood face to face with
this enormous army, he stepped forward,
completely unarmed and stood calmly before his
enemies. Then with great composure he unbuttoned
his coat and bared his chest. In a voice now charged
with emotion he addressed the great throng of
soldiers—many of whom had served under him in
the past: “Which one of you is willing to fire at the
naked chest of his father?” The battlefield rang with
shouts of ‘No one!’ Almost all of the soldiers
belonging to the enemy camp rushed to the side of
Napolean, who emerged victorious and once more
ascended the throne of France. If, in the destitute
state he was in at that time, he had attempted to do
battle with the French army, he would surely have
been slaughtered on that very battlefield.
Whatever a man’s resources, if he has to deal
effectively with a situation, he must be able to make
a proper assessment of it. And this he will not be
able to do if he panics in the face of danger. It is
only if he does not lose his nerve and keeps his
mind open to what is practical that he will be able
to overcome the obstacles in his path. Inevitably, his
success depends upon his being able to make a
well-considered choice of whatever material and
mental resources are available to him and then
putting them to proper use. History abounds in
instances of the weak overcoming the strong,
simply by strategic deployments of resources. The
reason for such success is not far to seek: often the
enemy is not as strong as he appears to be.
Everyone has his Achilles heel. It is just a question
of finding it and then ruthlessly exploiting it. Just as
Napolean exploited the French troops’ old and
sentimental loyalty to himself—that being his only
mainstay—so can ordinary individuals take
advantage of their enemies’ vulnerability in order to
gain their point without the kind of confrontation
which could be disastrous to both sides.
Ref - The Moral Vision
- by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
