I hope my last email got you thinking a little more about activism. The whole point was to help you see that, in many different ways, you are an activist too.
Now that we’ve covered that, I’d love to start talking about how we can put those traits into action — it’s all about doing. And together? We absolutely can.
Let’s start with two powerful concepts that go hand-in-hand: Courage and a United Vision.
COURAGE
Having courage can be scary for most of us. When we feel like we’re standing with the minority, it’s intimidating to stand against the majority — I know that feeling all too well.
People often call me brave, but I don’t feel brave. I feel nervous. Even afraid.
But maybe courage isn’t a feeling — maybe it’s an action.
It’s not about being a martyr or having the loudest voice.
"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow." — Mary Anne Radmacher
Courage is something you learn. Taking the first step is the most terrifying part, but once you prove to yourself you can do it once — what’s stopping you from doing it again? Don’t stop yourself.
Someone once said, “Courage is fear getting back in the saddle.”
I can do that. So can you.
Posting my cartoons sometimes scares me. I know they’ll provoke backlash. But I feel compelled to speak truth to power. So I click “post” and wait — anxious, but resolute.
Maybe that’s courage.
Authoritarian regimes often target artists, poets, journalists, intellectuals, and activists because creativity is defiant. It refuses to be co-opted by power. That’s why they try to silence us.
I’ve seen activists metaphorically stoned and silenced. But that’s the cost of speaking truth to power.
There’s also an element of forgiveness linked to courage.
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” — Mahatma Gandhi
It takes courage to forgive. We have been wronged — and the difficult reality is that we will continue to be wronged — but it takes courage to forgive those who hurt us.
Caring takes courage. And we need courage now more than ever.
