On December 7 and 8, 1941, the empire of Japan made a preemptive strike at the U.S. Naval forces at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. At the same time, they attacked the islands of Wake, Guam, and The Philippines, as well as Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaya. Their intent was to knock the USA out of the war early so they could gobble up large expanses of resource-rich territories in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It took a while, but the USA was able to weather the early attacks, mobilize its industrial might, and in just four years burn most of Japan’s biggest cities to the ground, destroy its army, air force, and Navy, and drop two atomic bombs that drove them to surrender.
45 years later, after disputes over oil production with neighboring Kuwait, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded it and within two days, conquered what was left of their military, installed a puppet government, and dared the world to stop him. After initially trying diplomatic means to end the conflict, the USA assembled a coalition of 35 countries, massed a huge attack force of ground troops, ships, missiles, and aircraft and within a few months destroyed much of Iraq’s military, pushing them to surrender, and liberating Kuwait.
Nearly 30 years later, an unseen enemy attacked the entire world, driving its citizens into quarantine, forcing people to wear masks, and, in the process, at least here in the USA, dividing a nation politically over the legitimacy of the disease and the requisite protections demanded. But, as of this writing, the COVID-19 virus is itself under attack from a vaccine that was quickly developed and distributed and is currently driving the numbers of infections and deaths down.
In each of these examples, the entity that threw the first punch ended up the loser as the recipient mobilized resources to fight back. The moral of these stories? Sometimes those who start trouble will eventually face an energized, motivated, and revenge-focused former victim.
What do the post-war Japanese and Iraqis, and COVID have to do with you? They are a warning to be careful what you start.
Some of us have pretty long fuses. It takes a lot to make us angry. Others however might be tempted to preemptively do something to gain power, influence, or simply achieve our goals. We might be tempted to push something forward that might have consequences. We might even decide to confront someone with more power than us, like maybe our boss, not realizing how painful the payback might be. So before we do or say something that might reduce us to the equivalent of post-war Japan or Iraq, here are some suggestions:
- Determine how important your intent is. Is your idea or plan something that is worth potentially destroying your career or relationships?
- Identify what power you have. Only a fool would attempt something they have little potential to finish. Think with your brain, not your emotion.
- Consider the long-term consequences. Even if you win, what relationships will have suffered or even been destroyed. Is this worth what you might or might not achieve?
All of us have causes we are passionate about. Pushing to get resources or recognition for them though can be costly. As you consider how to make a difference this week, take the time to think through the long and short term consequences. Be careful what you start.