In the old days, privilege came with obligations — except for the small class of intellectuals who served a patron or, in some cases, the state. You … - Nassim Nicholas Taleb

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In the old days, privilege came with obligations — except for the small class of intellectuals who served a patron or, in some cases, the state. You want to be a feudal lord — you will be first to die. You want war? First in battle. Let us not forget something embedded in the U.S. Constitution: the president is commander in chief. Caesar, Alexander, and Hannibal were on the battlefield — the last, according to Livy, was first-in, last-out of combat zones. George Washington, too, went to battle, unlike Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, who played video games while threatening the lives of others.