Timing Is Everything

Time is the only constant in today’s fast-paced world. We need to use it to our advantage.

The President’s House by George Munger, 1814-1815 (public domain - The White House Historical Association)

“The past is always tense, and the future, perfect.” — Zadie Smith, 2000

Did you know that the War of 1812 technically should never have taken place?

In the decades that followed the American Revolution, the United States was still an upstart. An experiment. World powers looked on with something of wonder, amusement, and skepticism.

When the British and French continued their centuries-long conflict, America was neutral.

However, in 1805, the British determined that they weren’t going to allow American ships through to France. Similarly, Napoleon ordered that neutral vessels sailing into British ports were subject to confiscation.

By 1812, President James Madison determined that America needed to be shown the respect it had earned. And on June 18, 1812, Congress officially declared war on Great Britain — for the second time in three decades.

But just two days before — on June 16 — a…