The third time’s the charm
With or without a trinity, the number three has a strong symbolic load. Some originate this saying in hand-to-hand fighting practices, where the fighter who knocked down his opponent three times won… Others relate it to the field of justice. Because during the 16th and 17th centuries, in the procedural practice of Criminal Law, death was established at the third robbery… In this way, for the prisoner, as for the fighters knocked down centuries ago, the third time was the charm…
Other sources maintain that the saying is inspired by an old English law whereby anyone who survived three hangings would be set free. The story tells of a convicted murderer, John “Babbacombe” Lee, who while in prison was sentenced to hang. When the time came, all three attempts to hang him failed…and he was set free!…
Regardless of possible origins, the phrase fuels the popular belief in perseverance. And that’s good. If there is effort, let there be encouragement so that it does not falter. So that firmness, tenacity, perseverance, faith are not lost… But not faith in its religious sense! The faith to live. That faith that when installed is capable of making us move mountains, even atheists… As you can see, all derivatives of the famous “You can” that Hollywood instills in us so much in its movies…
The professional followers of the proverb affirm that when the end we seek is not achieved at the first attempt, we must repeat them with greater zeal, because sometimes the charm is the fourth, or the fifth, or the sixth… Our Almafuerte, in his poem Avanti! -“Don’t give up, not even defeated”- he went further… “If they prostrate you ten times, you get up, another ten, another hundred, another five hundred”… Seconds out!
