
Out he came
Slowly
Confidently
Patiently
To his men huddle around the center mast
He looked in their eyes
And saw the slightest bit of uncertainty
He saw a little bit of fear
Some worry
Some doubt
The captain walked around his men
And stepped up onto a barrel
And began to speak
A speech
His men would never forget
…
I see it in your eyes men
You’re not sure
You’re not sure of this
Men, I know we’ve just begun
You’ve left it all behind
Just as I have
And I was the one
Who fired that last arrow
When I asked you days ago to join me
You made a vow when you stepped across that line
That you were willing
That you were able
That you were ready
And now…
Just days out
I can see that flicker of burden in your eyes
I see you look back during the night
Seeing the glimmer of the flames in the dark sky
I see you do this
I see it clearly
You can’t escape my glance
I’m aware of your nervousness
I see that you wonder
What may happen?
What the future may bring?
What perils we may face?
What challenges lay ahead?
But there’s no turning back men
There’s nothing to go back to
It’s all gone
What once was
Is now turning to ashes
What once was
Is in flames or embers by now
There is only scorched earth
Where your memories seem to drift
There is nothing
There for you anymore
…
A young man with a terrified look on his face interrupted and said…
“But sir, what about everything that just…”
…
The captain cut him off immediately
And belted out at the top of his lungs
NO OLD WAYS!!!!!
NO OLD WAYS!!!!!
NO OLD WAYS!!!!!
THERE IS NO GOING BACK! THERE ARE NO OLD WAYS!
THERE IS ONLY THIS!!!
THERE IS ONLY WHAT IS TO BE FOUND!!! THERE IS ONLY WHAT IS TO BE DISCOVERED!
NO OLD WAYS!!!!!
NOTHING ELSE MATTERS!
NO OLD WAYS!!!!!
NO OLD WAYS!!!!!
and men…
this is it
…
They didn’t cower…the men on board
In fact
They knew
They were being guided
Into the land of the unknown
By a captain
Who had no fear in his heart
That was living as if he was already dead
That wasn’t afraid to give up everything
To sacrifice everything
To let go…of everything
To see something for himself
And for others
That was far greater than anything he had ever lived in before
His men
Knew deep in their hearts
In that moment
That whatever came
The perils
The beasts
The darkness
That their captain
Would guide them
Protect them
Shine for them
And despite anything
That would ever happen
They knew
He would carry on
Evan Sanders
The Better Man Project
Emotion and courage pouring out of those words. Beautiful.
Powerful. I felt it and got the goose bumps reaction. Totally relating this to my journey. Captain my Captain.