When one reads these words, what does one think of, "The trials were severe, the errors numerous, the losses colossal . . . "?

Perhaps, immediately, the war in Iraq comes to the minds of some? There have obviously been errors made regarding the war. To some, the loses brought about by the war have been colossal. To some, yes, the trials severe.

Perhaps, not so immediately, the war in Vietnam comes to the minds of some? There were obviously errors made then as well. There were losses, to some colossal ones. The trials were, to some, severe.

Perhaps, the devastation of a hurricane or a tornado comes to the minds of some? Obviously, there were errors made in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. There were great losses. There were trials.

When I read those words last week, however, they were used to describe another momentous event. The complete thought was this: "The trials were severe, the errors numerous, the losses colossal, the gains, eventually, great."

Most of us tend to get lost in the errors, the trials and the losses, never remembering or realizing that the gains, almost without exception, always follow, not precede, the errors, the trials and the losses.

We live in a culture of instant gratification. If gains are not instantly realized or felt, damn the effort, it is not worth it!

Consequently, many in our culture want to cut and run at the first sign of errors or trials or losses.

Jamestown, the Virginia colony that had John Smith, Pocahontas, slavery, famine and war, is celebrating its 400th anniversary. It is the place where our nation began taking shape.

Those words -- "The trials were severe, the errors numerous, the losses colossal, the gains, eventually, great." -- are from a Time magazine article about Jamestown. The article also says, "Jamestown did not invent America, but in its will to survive, its quest for democracy, its exploitation of both Indians and slaves, it created the template for so many of the struggles -- and achievements -- that have made us who we are. It contained in embryo the same contradictions that still resonate in America today -- the tension between freedom and authority, between public purpose and private initiative, between our hopes and our fears."

Hopes are born from errors, trials and losses. Past those -- errors, trials, losses -- are the gains, most often taken inch by inch, minute by minute, day by day.

Jack Rollins is the managing editor of the Daily Dunklin Democrat.