but you cannot have flowers unless their
roots are below ground, otherwise they quickly wither. Thus, to have
sound value, these acts of non-resistance and self-sacrifice must rest
on a solid foundation of self-affirmation and resistance to evil.

As with the individual, so with the nation: there come high moments in a
nation's life, when a strong people might resist and deliberately
chooses not to. As an illustration, take our Mexican problem. The
announcement that under no circumstances would we intervene, may have
led to misunderstanding. Our purpose to let the Mexican people work out
their own problem may have been taken to mean that we would not justly
protect ourselves, with consequent encouragement to border raiding.
Nevertheless, if there has been any error in handling the situation, it
has been on the better side--on the side of patience, generosity,
long-suffering, giving the other fellow another chance, and another and
another, even though he does not deserve them. Now that is not the side
on which human nature usually errs. The common temptation is to
selfishness and unjust aggression. Since that is the case, if we cannot
strike the just balance, it is better to push too far on the other side
and avoid the common mistake.

Suppose, after the War, Japan, alone or in conjunction with one or
another European power, closes the door to China: one can imagine
circumstances where we, with the right to insist that the door be kept
open, and perhaps, by that time, something of the strength to enforce
that right, might deliberately say, "No, we will not resist." Not that,
with our present situation, such action is desirable, but that one can
imagine conditions arising where it might be the higher choice.

Let me repeat that, for the nation as with the individual, these high
moments must rest on something else. They are the high mountain peaks
of the moral life; but detached mountain peaks are impossible,--except
as a mirage. They must rest upon the granite foundation of the hills
and plateaus below. So these high virtues of non-resistance, magnanimity
and self-sacrifice must always rest upon the granite foundation of the
masculine virtues of self-affirmation, endurance, heroism, strong
conflict with evil. It takes strength to make magnanimity and
self-sacrifice possible, if their lesson is not lost. A weak man
cannot be magnanimous, since his generosity is mistaken for servile
cowardice. After all, the be