Dr. King and other moral heroes: On finding the “courage to be” in dark times
Life can be disappointing. History and politics are often ugly. Current events are disturbing. Good people suffer. Our bodies decay. And those we love eventually die. Despite the darkness, it is possible to embrace the world with tenacity and joy. It is essential in these troubled times to find the courage to be.
In my recent Bee column, I argued that courage is required in dark times:
In tragic circumstances your virtue will be tested. Will you live as a citizen of a better world, or will you give in to cynicism and despair? In confronting this choice, you discover what you value and who you really are.
This is not easy. And it may often seem that life is not fair. But no one ever promised that a good life was easy. Life is tragic. Courage demands that we confront reality as it is, and find the strength to endure.
The virtue of Fortitude is often portrayed as a woman holding a broken column. In the image included here, she appears with a modest smile, nonchalantly accepting the ruined world that rests upon her shoulders. The inscription says, “Bear heavy burdens and labor with an unbroken spirit.”
Each of us will eventually be asked to carry a heavy load. We should hope to bear our burdens with grace and that we can find the strength to carry this broken world a bit further.
Moral Heroes
When things look bleak, it is helpful to consider moral heroes like Socrates or Jesus. Life was not easy for them. Adversity made them who they were. Socrates died in prison. And the cross is a reminder of how Jesus lived and died.
In my column I explained:
Moral heroes inhabit a different realm: They live in accord with another, better set of values than those of this rotten world.
I borrowed this idea from James Lawson, a leader of the American Civil Rights movement, who suggested that moral courage can be found in trying to live “as a citizen of a country that does not yet exist.”
This is not easy. Those who struggled for civil rights suffered profoundly. This includes Martin Luther King, Jr., whose house was bombed, and who was murdered at age 39. But King left a legacy of tenacity and fortitude.
In a speech in 1960, King explained that it is essential to have “faith in the future.” He linked this to faith in God: “A creative force in this universe seeking at all times to bring down prodigious hilltops of evil and pull low gigantic mountains of injustice.”
Whatever you believe about the Creator, you ought to struggle onward. King said, “If you can’t fly, run; if you can’t run, walk; if you can’t walk, crawl; but by all means keep moving.”
Existential Courage
King’s Christian faith was informed by the existential “courage to be.” In his book, Strength to Love, King discusses theologian Paul Tillich, who understood courage as joyful affirmation that occurs “in spite of” negativity, death, and “nonbeing.” Tillich suggests in his book, The Courage to Be, “Joy is the emotional expression of the courageous Yes to one’s own true being.”
You have a choice. You can view life either as an opportunity or a disaster. You can give up. Or you can say “Yes!” and confront the darkness as a provocation, a test, and a call to action.
In my recent column, I quoted the Roman philosopher Seneca, who suggested that if life was easy, virtue would never be tested.
Seneca said, “Calamity is virtue’s opportunity.” If you never confront misfortune, your strength and goodness will never be challenged. Seneca explained, “If a man is to know himself, he must be tested.”
Each difficulty gives you a chance to be, an opportunity to exist—despite evil, death, and suffering. If you embrace the possibility of being, you can discover joy and courage, in spite of the darkness.
Tillich and King understand Christian faith as believing “in spite” of everything. But humanists can also understand joyful courage as essential for living well in the face of adversity.
Artists and writers must have the courage to create, despite critics, censors, and public indifference. Lovers must find the courage to love, despite the risk of loss and grief. And every political act depends upon courage, in spite of a world that is often violent and unjust.
Bearing Adversity With Grace
We are fortunate if things go well for a few weeks, a few months, or a few years. But good fortune ends. Cities burn and civilizations collapse. Our lives eventually end. Our actions will be forgotten. And those we love will fade into the dust.
But while you live, you have the chance to do, to act, to love, and to be. You have a choice in how you respond to adversity. You can ask “What’s next?” instead of “Why me?” And you can say “Yes” instead of “Woe is me.”
Heroes inspire. Great exploits produce energy and delight. But even modest activity can be a source joy and inspiration. When things look bleak, imagine your heroes—their strength, and their joy. And then keep moving. If you are forced to bear a ruined world upon your shoulders, you can grimace and complain. Or you can smile and say “Onward.”
Read more at: https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/readers-opinion/article314249834.html#storylink=cpy