I am a product of my raising, as we all are. Like most people, I am multifaceted. I have personality quirks. Some might find me a bit strange. I don’t mind at all. In fact, if a leftist does not find me odd, I should reconsider what I am doing. Still, growing up, I was just me. I did not really make conscious choices to be different or out of the ordinary. I just did what I thought I should (or more likely as a youngster, what I wanted to do). One of the quirks that I exhibit is a constant trend toward enjoying life. While I do have very serious thoughts, and hold firm positions on just about everything, I tend to keep things light. If the mood starts getting tense, you can bank on the fact that I will do something to lighten things up a bit.
That proclivity has led to others underestimating me. Let me explain. As I neared graduation from seminary, one of our requirements was to do a sermon during daily chapel. We had to request a faculty member to introduce us, so I asked one of the profs that I had gotten close to over the previous two years. In his introduction, he said something along the lines of: “When you first meet Theophrastus, you think he is a light weight. He enjoys life, is always smiling and joking, leading you to think that he has little depth. However, once you engage him in conversation, or as I have, read his theological essays, you realize that there is actually a very deep pool from which he draws…” and so on.
Now, I do not share that with you to hold myself up as anything all that special. In fact, I am a pretty regular guy. I have many weaknesses, and I struggle with them every day. Sometimes I do well, and often I fail spectacularly. But I am no lightweight, intellectually, physically, or spiritually. Still, to this day, when people first meet me, they discount my abilities in all of those areas.
When my prof made his introduction, I will admit, I was shocked. I had never realized that people saw me that way before. I knew who I was, and was content with it, and really didn’t care (and still don’t) what others thought about me. I just assumed that they saw me for what I was. But they did not. They saw weakness or trivialities where there was actually strength and depth.
Two decades later, I am quite content with this whole thing. It does not bother me at all that people underestimate me. It gives me an advantage. Most of the time, this whole thing is irrelevant. It simply does not matter. But in those rare cases where there will be some sort of conflict, whether intellectual or physical, I have the high ground. My opponent discounts my abilities, meaning he will not bring his A-game. Fine. It makes my victory that much easier.
Why do I bring this up? Because this is exactly what the left does to the Hard Right. As I mentioned in my article “Don’t Force Our Hand:”
They [the Left] have mistaken our forbearance to this point for weakness. That is dead wrong. It is not that we are not capable. It is that we do not want open conflict. But if we are forced into a corner, all hell is going to break loose, and the left is not going to like the result.
They actually believe their own propaganda about the Right. They think we are all backwards hillbillies, too dumb to think for ourselves. They consider us knuckledraggers, barely more than Neanderthals. They are convinced that they are superior to us in every way.
Fine. Let them think so. The longer they underestimate us, the further along the path to freedom we can move. The longer they consider us as unequal opponents, the easier it will be to overcome their feeble attempts to thwart us.
Really, even if they bring their A-game, we would swamp them. But it is that much easier when they mail it in. Who does the left have to compare to Oath Keepers? Even putting aside a great group like Oath Keepers, our marginalized groups are superior to theirs. Really, if you had to choose who would win a fight between the SPLC and the NRA, would you put your money on the libtards? If so, you are out of your mind.
No, I am quite content to be underestimated. I hope they continue to think we are lightweights. It makes our foreordained victory that much easier. It worked pretty well for David, when he faced Goliath.
“It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.”
Since the Antifa are ignorant of anything that has happened before last week and regard that ignorance as a strength, they will continue to lose.
I do worry about whether or not I underestimate the enemy, but so far, I don’t see that they have presented themselves as a formidable foe.
The fact that they are skilled at taking over organizations. Indicates their strengths lie in co-opting and maneuvering for power. Not in have power in themselves but having those with power do their bidding:
http://www.garynorth.com/freebooks/docs/a_pdfs/gncf.pdf
They are particularly skilled bureaucrats and wielding its machinery to do their bidding. As parasites they are truly skilled.
This is true. Everyone has talents, and this is their’s.
It is a concept which boggles the mind. Has the left never read Sun Tzu? At a minimum, they have no real strategic mindset other than shouting catch phrases and feeling very strongly about whatever it is that their leaders are telling them they should feel strongly about.
It is a weak ideology that only exists in opposition to an enemy it spends no time attempting to comprehend or evaluate honestly.
Good for us. Mayhem for them. Pretty sure I can live with that.
History repeats itself. I think the old adage about that is incorrect. We do not learn history in order to keep it from repeating. We learn it that we may know how to win. Thankfully, evil seems unable to learn that lesson. I assume that it is Divine Providence that it be so.
Perhaps it is that Evil knows the end and has only the imperative that it wil take as many as can be led to destruction as is demonically possible. Perhaps, at the spiritual level, it isn’t about “winning” at all but about the rebellion against God gaining momentum with as much of humanity as possible being deceived and led away from Him.
I’d read a comment or bit of wisdom somewhere once that stated that “Evil is stupid and lazy. They just win because no one opposes them.”
Seems accurate enough? There don’t seem to be a lot of world class villains out there.
In times of plenty evil takes the form of pathetic manipulative people. It is more about dripping poison to kill than killing in battle. Evil is more subtle and relies more on deception and subterfuge to achieve their goals.
In times of shortage evil takes the form of the strong and merciless. Like Julius Caesar or Genghis Khan.
Evil comes in all shapes and sizes. There are some who fit the mould of a villain but there are others like Leftist infiltrators that while pathetic do they job very well as 5 columnists and parasites. Experts in Bureaucracy.
Hard times breeds hard men.
Hard men create easy times.
Easy times creates soft men.
Soft men create hard times.
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Great article. Completely agree with you. It’s much better to be underestimated, for our side.
I tried to give the article 5 stars, but it will only let me click the one and now I can’t edit it. Sorry about that.
Don’t worry about the stars. Sometimes they are persnickety. Thanks for the kind words.
Excellent post Theophrastus as was ‘don’t force our hand’. I have been mis underestimated my whole life. It gives me a tactical advantage in almost everything I do. Getting to know ones own self, with all the strengths and weaknesses god has given each of us is a great way to learn and grow.
There is no where else on this earth to run to. So we might as well stand, as men ,where the creator has placed us. The book already tells the end to the story. We may lose the battle as our culture has fallen, but I am pretty sure we win the war.
Morituri Te Salutant
Thank you. I struggled with the underestimation for awhile, as I tend to want to be visible, liked, and respected (it is my nature), but once I realized the advantages, I just let it ride.
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Great article. The left seems to always jump at emotion without regard to what on the other side of the wall.
Both this, and previous article “dont force our hand” reminded me of Sun Tzu
” The general, unable to control his irritation, will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants, with the result that one-third of his men are slain, while the town still remains untaken. ”
Keep up the good work. I shall remain “the grey man” myself.
Well, I have read Sun Tzu, but it has been a long time. Most of this is just common sense to me.
Meekness, politeness, and civility, or even a desire to de-escalate have been taken for weakness. But they are the opposite. They show the virtues of fortitude and self-control. They only see their error when the virtues are shifted to projecting defense and retribution.
Dare we say those things are the adult response, even?
I’d say that pretenses of weakness produced by such qualities make good bait. In the same way feigned retreat that signaled supposed weakness enabled the Mongol armies of Genghis Khan to win against foes superior in numbers. And carve up the biggest land empire the world has ever seen.
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This always reminds me of “Marcelo Garcia”.
You might conclude from his affable demeanor (lots of pictures of him smiling) that he is a nice guy, and you’d be correct.
If you were to assume that he is weak or not dangerous, you would do so at your own peril.
Man, can I relate to this. Having a baby face has its pros and cons.
ha, I have never had a baby face.
Shortly after Trump’s triumphant election, we were over at my son’s place and his progressive fiancée got increasingly unhinged as we talked through various issues. She would bring up scenario after scenario which we would dismiss using logic and Trump’s own words. When she expressed fears that her parents would be deported (one from a Scandinavian country and one from South America) there was an air of the frantic. It was my first real experience talking with someone who believed it all, leaving me to believe that your comment, “They actually believe their own propaganda about the Right.” is spot on. They don’t know us and what’s more, they don’t WANT to know us. It’s much easier dealing with cardboard cutouts. They don’t want to find out if we really are racist, sexist, misogynist, anti-LGBTWXYZ or whatever, because they want to depersonalize us. If they can believe that we are evil, it relieves their conscience of their poor treatment of us.
I can’t help but pity them, but pity won’t save them.
Good thoughts. You are spot on.
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Underestimated. I can’t tell you how many people think because I was a an introverted, quiet, stay at home, homeschool mom, that I wasn’t capable of understanding “big ideas” and socio-political ideas.
That is always a heck of a good time. It used to bother me but at this point, there are so few people I’d want to engage anyway? it works in my favor if they think I don’t have a brain or an opinion.
That would never work for me. I am scary looking.
I think it might be better to be over OR underestimated. As long as they never estimate you correctly.
But, at the very least, I am seldom required to participate in a conflict that I do not choose to participate in. Most people look up at me and look for an excuse to be elsewhere. (Think Terry Funk at his ugliest)