Solidarity always tries to live together with everyone in peace, but sometimes things go wrong and then, as a last resort, we have to fight for what is right. It so happens that there are certain things in life that are worth putting up a fight for. This doesn't mean we always want to take up the sword and fight, for in its essence Solidarity is a constructive organisation that builds and preserves and doesn't want to burn and destroy.
The children of the one who is not prepared to fight when it is needed will have to bear the consequences of cowardice. As the American author Thomas Sowell put it: "If you are not prepared to use force to defend civilization, then be prepared to accept barbarism".
By "fighting" I do not mean reckless and unlawful violence or unchristian like behaviour. To me, it's about taking a stand, standing by each other and acting together. It doesn't help to engage in losing battles either. At least 50% of those involved in conflict do not properly calculate their chances of winning in advance!
Let's look at what I consider to be my ten rules for "warfare".
Rule 1: Never give your opponent ammunition to use against you. For example, if you make racist comments yourself, then it is of little use to complain about racism.
Rule 2: The moral high ground is the best place to site your artillery.
Rule 3: Don't turn people, who are not your friends, into enemies.
Rule 4: Keep the peace and never strike first, but if someone makes war with you, make sure you always strike last. Hence, never start a war but make sure you end it by winning.
Rule 5: Talk as much as you "fight". Fighting is always the last resort.
Rule 6: Choose your friends and your "enemies" carefully. Be on the "right" side and don't play "offside".
Rule 7: Don't engage in minor battles and don't engage in dog fights. You are only as great as the "battles" you fight.
Rule 8: Certain groups can never be satisfied. They hate you, not because of your views but because of "who or what" you are. People like Churchill and Kissinger brilliantly realised that ideologues such as the Nazis and the Communists regard peace as the absence of opponents and not the absence of violence.
Rule 9: If you act like a sheep, the wolves will eat you. "A showing of weakness invites predatory behaviour." Afrikaners are mostly poor negotiators and don't realise that unilateral concessions solicit more demands. Ban the naïve from the negotiating table. A minor battle while you are strong is better than a war when you are weak.
Rule 10: Handle power with caution. If a power base is not important to you don't suspect that the same goes for your "enemy". Just remember - there is a difference between a power base and a "fan club". Power is not a substitute for a good cause or a workable plan either. When you hold a gun to someone's head you have negotiating power, but if you pull the trigger you have lost it. Most importantly - seek peace and pursue it, but fight if you are compelled to do so, for the consequence of cowardly surrender are far bloodier and span a longer term than the peace accomplished on the basis of an enemy who lets you be because he knows you can and will fight back. Peace!
Flip Buys is chairman of the Solidarity Movement.
This article first appeared, in Afrikaans, on Solidarity's website.
Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter
