My mother raised us as Texans. Her great-grandfather was one of the first Texas Rangers. We have some cousins who are descendants of William B Travis, the commander of the Republic of Texas forces at the Alamo. He died at the Alamo on March 6, 1836. Future battles for Texas’ independence from Mexico included the rallying cry “Remember the Alamo!” Mom would say, some 130 years later, “There was no back door to the Alamo.”
face your problems
The men who fought at the Alamo fought bravely. All but one of the men who had been at the Alamo stayed behind for the coming attack. They knew they were going to die, but they stayed to fight for their new country, the Nation of Texas.
What Mom meant by “There was no back door at the Alamo” is that you have to face your problem. If you run away from them, they will just follow you wherever you go. In the metaphysical community we talk about learning what you have to learn now or just come across the same lesson later. In other words, if you need to learn to defend yourself, you will continue to find yourself in similar situations until you learn to be responsible for yourself and not be a victim.
The men who fought for the independence of Texas decided not to be victims. They decided to confront what they considered the enemy. Yes, they all died. Their deaths also changed the course of history by becoming the rallying cry that ultimately led to the death of the Mexican leader who killed the men at the Alamo. (As always, the story is told from the point of view of the victor. Mexicans tell the story of how intruders entered their land and took it from them.)
Strength of character
Facing adversity builds character. When you run away from difficulties, you don’t learn what you can overcome. Poet Edgar Guest said it beautifully in his poem “See It Through,” “When faced with a problem, meet it head-on…You may fail, but you can win. Get over it.”
Children need to learn to face their problems and to admit and then remedy their mistakes. Unfortunately, many parents are so protective of their children that they don’t learn how to deal with adversity. When adversity strikes, young people, perhaps now young adults, have not mustered the strength of character to stand up for their truth.
Mom’s catchphrase, “There’s no back door at the Alamo,” is all about finding the strength within yourself and doing what you think is right. You learn that you have inner strength, and you increase it every time you exercise it.
