Fail Fast
I recently found out that the English word velitation comes from Latin vēlitātiōn- (stem of vēlitātiō) “skirmish,” ultimately a derivation of vēles (stem vēlit-) “light-armed foot soldier wearing little armor, skirmisher,” which is a derivative from the adjective vēlox (stem vēlōc-) “quick, rapid, speedy” (and the source of English velocity).
Compared to the better known and more heavily armed Centurions, the vēlitēs, were a specialized unit of soldiers in the ancient Roman army, that were armed with swords, javelins, and much smaller round shields (compared to the scutum we typically associate with Roman legions). Vēlitēs were typically stationed in front of the legionary lines. They were a short lived Roman avant-garde.
Before the main action began, these vēlitē skirmishers threw their javelins at the enemy lines to break up their formation and then rapidly withdrew to the rear of the legionary lines — ancient shock and awe warfare. The vēlitēs were quick, but not as quick as their general’s military and strategic reorganizational and motivational capabilities. The Roman’s knew how to fail fast (but not fail often; at least for 1000 years). You see, the vēlitēs tenure as a type of soldier or unit in the Roman army was relatively brief: they were first mentioned about 211 b.c. in the dark, dark days (for the sons of SPQR at at least) of the Second Punic War (218–201 b.c.). History tells us that the vēlitēs were probably formed owing to lowered property qualifications for military service in 214 b.c. and were drawn from the lowest, youngest, and poorest citizens, in other words , they were ‘expendables’ who were eventually phased out of commission. Vēlitēs were last mentioned during the Jugurthine War of 112–106 b.c.; presumably they were subsumed into the centuries (physical centuries, not metaphysical-time centuries, which was what the Romans’ called a company consisting of approximately 100 men, hence the term centurion mentioned earlier) in a later reorg of the Roman army. Praetorian entrepreneurship at its finest!
Mongolian Horse Blood
Not to be outdone by the Romans, the Mongols, as chief architects of history’s fastest growing and second largest empire ever, were famous for riding at break neck speeds (sometimes all night long) and instead of pausing for a meal, would simply drink the warm blood of their horses by cutting into a vein into their steed’s neck (sometimes while on horseback), bringing new meaning to the Pepsi Tagline: “Live For Now.”
Speed, in empire building…both throughout history and even more so in the contemporary FAANGs of today…is of the utmost essence.
هلاّ سأَلتِ الخيلَ يا ابنة َ مالكٍ ومحلّم يسعون تحت لوائهم
إذ لا أزالُ على رحالة ِ سابح نهْدٍ تعاوَرُهُ الكُماة ُ مُكَلَّمِ
طَوْراً يجَرَّدُ للطعانِ وتارة ً يأوي الى حصدِ القسيِّ عرمرمِ
يُخبرْك من شَهدَ الوقيعَة َ أنني أغشى الوغى وأعفُّ عند المغنم
ولقد ذكرْتُكِ والرِّماحُ نواهلٌ مني وبيْضُ الهِنْدِ تقْطرُ منْ دمي
فوددتُ تقبيل السيوفِ لأنها لمعت كبارق ثغركِ المتبسِّم
ومدَّججٍ كرِهَ الكُماة ُ نِزَالَهُ لا مُمْعنٍ هَرَباً ولا مُسْتَسلم
جادتْ له كفي بعاجل طعنة ٍ بمثَقَّفٍ صَدْقِ الكُعُوبِ مُقَوَّم
بِرَحِيبَة ِ الفَرْعَينِ يهْدي جَرسُها بالليل معتسَّ الذئابِ الضرَّم
فشككتُ بالرمحِ الأصمِّ ثيابهُ والكُفْرُ مخبَثَة ٌ لنفْس المُنْعِمِ
فتركتهُ جزرَ السباع ينشنهُ يقضمنَ حسنَ بنانهِ والمعصم
وَمِشَكِّ سابغة ٍ هَتكتُ فروجَها بالسيف عن حامي الحقيقة معلم
زبدٍ يداهُ بالقداح إذا شتا هتَّاك غايات التجار ملوَّم
لما رآني قَدْ نَزَلْتُ أُرِيدُهُ أبدى نواجذهُ لغير تبسُّم
فطعنتهُ بالرُّمح ثم علوتهُ بمهندٍ صافيِ الحديد مخذَم
عهدي به مَدَّ النّهار كأَنما خضبَ اللبان ورأسهُ بالعظلم
يَا شَاة َ ما قَنَصٍ لِمَنْ حَلَّتْ لَهُ حرمتْ عليَّ وليتها لم تحرُم
فَبَعَثْتُ جاريتي فقلْتُ لها اذْهبي فَتجسَّسي أخبارَها ليَ واعلمي
قالتْ رأيتُ منْ الأعادي غرَّة ً والشاة ُ مُمكِنة ٌ لمنْ هُو مُرْتَمِ
وكأنما التفتتْ بجيدِ جداية ٍ رَشَاءٍ من الغِزْلانِ حُرٍّأرثم
عنترة بن شداد بن عمرو بن معاوية بن قراد العبسي —