Be Brave
In a Braver New World
“Did you ever feel, as though you had something inside you that was only waiting for you to give it a chance to come out? Some sort of extra power that you aren't using - you know, like all the water that goes down the falls instead of through the turbines?”
― Aldous Huxley, BRAVE NEW WORLD
Yes, there is time for grief. There is time for mourning and wailing and tearing at the last shreds of our dreams and hopes and illusions. Fabric rent.
And then there is time for gathering, to gather ourselves, to hold one another, to pray. Not to be saved, but for hope.
And then there is time for action. Not the action taken before, but new action.
The time has come for bravery.
Bravery isn’t cowering behind the boulder, waiting for it to end, or running away for safety.
Bravery isn’t rushing madly, blindly into the brink, sword waving, fury screaming.
Bravery isn’t righteous name-calling or scapegoating, driving an even deeper wedge between already divided people, already conquered hearts.
Bravery is facing the fear of the dark and still carrying on.
Bravery is shining a light on yourself to see where you might have gone off course and can do differently.
Bravery is holding fast to what you know is true, even if you think the world is against you.
Bravery is seeing clearly who and where you are, not through judgmental lenses, but with uncompromisingly fierce vision, so we can move forward with purpose.
Bravery is taking the hand of the person next to you and helping them find strength to carry on, even when they are deep in despair.
We must be brave now, dear friends.
The world is changing, as it always does, and needs our bravery, not our fear.
It needs our courage and our love, not our outrage and hate.
It needs our faith and trust, not our despair and apathy.
It needs us to reach into our strength, to the deep wells of compassion and steadfastness that we didn’t even know we had.
We haven’t even begun to tap the reservoir of strength, courage and bravery that we have.
We don’t yet know what we are truly capable of achieving.
We don’t yet know who we can become or what kind of world we can build anew.
Let us surprise ourselves with our courage, our conviction, our love, and our faith.
Let us surprise each other with who we become.
Let us surprise this Brave New World with an even Braver New World that we bravely build together.