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Win or Die
It was eighth grade, and we were in social science class. This class was different from others. We didn't have to take notes. Our desks were empty—no textbooks or pens allowed. We just had to listen to our teacher (shame on me for forgetting his name.) It felt like we were kids sitting at our grandmother's feet, listening to stories.
One day, he asked, "Why do you think Ethiopia defeated Italy?" We all gave the usual, simple answers, like
> "Because they were heroes."
> "Because they were many in number."
> "Because they had superior tactics"
> "Because they had strategic knowledge of the terrain"
…
But then he said, "All those reasons are wrong. It was because when our fathers and mothers went to war, they were thinking, 'Either we will win or die.' There was no surrender. No turning back. No defeat. They would either win or die trying."
#adwa
It was eighth grade, and we were in social science class. This class was different from others. We didn't have to take notes. Our desks were empty—no textbooks or pens allowed. We just had to listen to our teacher (shame on me for forgetting his name.) It felt like we were kids sitting at our grandmother's feet, listening to stories.
One day, he asked, "Why do you think Ethiopia defeated Italy?" We all gave the usual, simple answers, like
> "Because they were heroes."
> "Because they were many in number."
> "Because they had superior tactics"
> "Because they had strategic knowledge of the terrain"
…
But then he said, "All those reasons are wrong. It was because when our fathers and mothers went to war, they were thinking, 'Either we will win or die.' There was no surrender. No turning back. No defeat. They would either win or die trying."
#adwa