When the Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815, think of this as Napoleons insane invading spree, Europe’s great powers were tired. And a way to protect from this debacle again was to make Switzerland permanently neutral. Buffer state: Prevented rival powers from sharing borders (France, Austria, Germany, Italy) Strategic balance: No single power controlled the Alpine…

You can act confidently and be wrong. Yet you did so with a gentle spirit. Setting yourself up for admitting the mistake and trying again where it will be well received.

The guest gathered around the food. Food was something unifying, something they all liked. But here there’s nothing to unify around.

A shared moment. You too? Me too.

To be free, and then told you are not free. To be promised but disregarded. To be Dred Scott.