Lesson 6: When Half a Million Bullets Aren't Enough

Youth Development Studies on Personal Values, Goal Setting and Decision-Making

By Gary Petty

The African plateau was spotted with clumps of tents and red-coated British soldiers. Armed with fine breech-loading rifles and half a million rounds of ammunition, there seemed little to fear from the spear-toting Zulus.

But sometimes a half million bullets just aren't enough.

The British Empire of the 1870s stretched from Canada to the Orient. Even the most remote outpost was run with textbook military code and discipline. The British seemed invincible to almost everyone...including themselves.

In 1879, violence erupted between the British protectorate in South Africa and the Zulu Kingdom. England sent an army to invade Zululand. The invading force split into two columns. The main column marched a few miles ahead of a smaller force. The smaller column camped at the foot of a ragged mountain named Isandlwana. As the men were eating breakfast, the alarm sounded. Within a few minutes, the soldiers formed a horseshoe defensive line around the camp.

The danger of the situation dawned when there appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, 20,000 Zulu warriors! The British line didn't waiver. Each man was an expert marksman. And they possessed 500,000 rounds of ammunition.

When the Zulus came within range, the soldiers opened fire. The warriors went down by the dozens. The attack wavered. For nearly an hour, there was a standoff with British soldiers holding their ground against the fierce Zulus.

If you stood atop Isandlwana, you would have witnessed an awesome sight—the mile-long horseshoe line facing a mass of struggling warriors. A thousand yards behind the soldiers lay the ammunition wagons where runners carried cartridges to the firing line. You would also notice that, as the morning wore on, the sound of gunfire weakened.

At the ammunition wagons, activities continued with textbook rigidity. An accounting was made of every cartridge. Each ammunition box had numerous screws and only the quartermaster had a screwdriver. Each box was opened only when another was empty.

Runners from the battle stood in line for their cartridges. No hurrying. No pushing. No panic. If a soldier showed up at a wagon that didn't belong to his company, he was ordered to run hundreds of yards to the next wagon.

All along the line, the British infantry was getting nervous. They continued to push cartridges into their breech-loaders, mark the targets and squeeze off the rounds. NCOs calmly barked orders, telling the men to stay under control. But more and more men were asking, "Where's the ammo?" The number of cartridges reaching the line had slowed to a trickle. Hundreds of ammunition boxes were still unopened. But, rules are rules, and cartridges were distributed under strict accounting procedures.

The volume of fire slackened. A native company ran out of bullets and ran towards the rear. The Zulus rushed into the gap. The slaughter of the British troops began. Of the 950 European troops who took the field that day, only 55 survived. Of the 850 native troops fighting with the British, only 300 made it back to safety.

There have been numerous attempts to explain the defeat at Isandlwana. Obviously, the sheer weight of numbers was a factor, as well as the disposition of the British troops (they were spread out too thin). The Washing of the Spears by Donald Morris is the source of this story. Morris states that as long as the soldiers kept firing, the Zulus were held at bay. He speculates that with 500,000 rounds of ammunition and the right troop formation on the mountainside, using the wagons as a fort, the British could have held back the warriors. It all became moot when those on the front lines ran out of ammunition.

The Isandlwana battle may be the only time that an army in possession of half a million bullets in unopened boxes was destroyed because its troops ran out of ammunition. The British quartermasters were so concerned with details they missed the bigger picture.

The bigger picture

Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of daily life, we lose sight of the purpose of life. Many times, we don't wake up from our preoccupation with details until the crisis is upon us in the form of ruined health, devastated relationships and depression.

It's not that we can afford to ignore all details. But we must be aware of the importance of details in relationship with the bigger picture. Stephen Covey, in Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, calls this the difference between the urgent and the important.

"Urgent matters are usually visible. They press on us; they insist on action. They're often popular with others. They're usually right in front of us. And often they are pleasant, easy, fun to do. But so often, they are unimportant.

"Importance, on the other hand, has to do with results. If something is important, it contributes to your mission, your values, your high priority goals" (1989, p. 151).

Jesus visited the house of two sisters. Mary sat and listened to Jesus teach the principles of life. Martha was distraught with details of preparations for her guests. Martha complained that Mary wasn't doing her part. Jesus answered, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:41–42). Mary saw a bigger picture. The details would still be there and their time would come, but now there was something more important to do.

What is important?

Where do we start in determining what is important? A list of priorities is determined by the end goal. Christianity isn't simply a set of beliefs. It is a way of life with a definite goal. Jesus Christ reminds us "seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).

What would happen in your life if you faced each day with the goal of being like Christ? How many urgent details would you set aside to fulfill important matters? Would you answer the telephone or finish your family dinner? Would you turn off the television to take a walk with your family? Would you take time to clear your mind of troubles and meditate on God's plan for humanity? Would you give up watching one basketball game a month to visit the elderly and sick?

God has a bigger picture for your life. Don't lose sight of that bigger picture as the British army at Isandlwana did. You have all the ammunition you need. But you must use it. Spend time everyday in contact with Him through prayer and Bible study. Live by the words in His instruction book. Take care of the essentials and the unimportant will take care of itself.

1. What are the four most important areas of your life?

2. What are the most important relationships in your life?

3. What one thing could you do to improve each of the most important areas of your life?

4. What one thing could you do to improve each of the most important relationships of your life?

5. What urgent, but unimportant, details are keeping you from fulfilling your life's important areas and relationships?

6. Organizations create "mission statements," short statements of why they exist and what they want to achieve. Use Jesus' teachings in Matthew 6:33 to create a mission statement for your life.

Wrap-up

Most people spend their lives consumed by urgent details and miss the bigger picture.

We must learn to tell the difference between the urgent, but unimportant, and the truly important aspects of life.

Jesus gives us the starting point with the mission of "seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness."

To do

Read the "Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew 5 through 7.

("When Half a Million Bullets Aren't Enough" first appeared in Virtual Christian Magazine, www.vcmagazine.org, July 1999, © United Church of God.)