Chapter 220
The Beauty of Battle
On returning to Górki after having seen Prince Andrew, Pierre ordered his groom to get the horses ready and to call him early in the morning, and then immediately fell asleep behind a partition in a corner Borís had given up to him. Before he was thoroughly awake next morning everybody had already left the hut. The panes were rattling in the little windows and his groom was shaking him. “Your excellency! Your excellency! Your excellency!” he kept repeating pertinaciously while he shook Pierre by the shoulder without looking at him, having apparently lost hope of getting him to wake…
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Critical Thinking Exercise
From Watching to Doing
Think of three areas in your life where you've been primarily an observer rather than a participant. For each area, identify what your 'getting on the horse' moment would look like - the first small action that moves you from watching to doing. Don't worry about being prepared or skilled; focus on what participation would actually mean.
Consider:
- •Like Pierre, you don't need to be qualified or prepared to start participating
- •The goal isn't to become an expert overnight, just to stop being purely a spectator
- •Sometimes the catalyst is seeing others fully engaged and recognizing you want that same level of involvement
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you moved from being an observer to a participant in something important. What triggered that shift? How did it feel different once you were actively involved rather than just watching?
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