burning boats...
in 15 years of conquest...
he never lost... not once.
He led with the "burn the boats" mindset...

The true story begins in 334 B.C...
at just 21 years old, Macedonian
born Alexander III would
send a message that would be
heard throughout centuries.
The ruler sailed
his men to the enemy
shores of the Persian Empire...
upon setting foot on foreign land...
undersupplied and outnumbered 5 to 1...
his orders were clear...
"burn the ships"...
demanding severance to
the avenue that would allow
for his men to plan for a potential failure.
His words...
"we will either return home in Persian
ships or we will die here"
This wildly successful battle tactic
would set the tone for centuries to come...

fast forward to June 06, 1944...
the invasion of Normandy...
American, Canadian and British forces
would heroically bombard the heavily
fortified shores of Nazi occupied France...
viewed as an inevitable
success to the allied forces...
they dropped
men throughout the night
behind enemy lines...
every soldier knew...
there was no rescue mission
set aside for them...
it was a clear case of win
or die fighting for freedom...

Today we live in a world
that has approached conflict
with a desire for peace...
but there is an unending war
within all of us...
I believe our lives are defined
by the experiences that
shape our decisions...
the happenings that make us
feel something... to act...
to ensure that the one life
we are given is not looked
back on with regret...
we are a nation...
a world...
a species built on risk...
I feel that every soul is a ship
roaming the open ocean...
and I guess one big question
in life is if or when
you'll burn the boat...
new journals every Sunday.