On Courage and Cruelty
Courage fascinates me. What is it that makes a Ukrainian comedian-turned-politician refuse a USA offer of evacuation with these simple words?
“The fight is here. I need ammunition. Not a ride.” V. Zelensky, 2/2022
What caused Alexi Navalny, poisoned within an inch of his life, to return to Russia, knowing full well that his likely end would be death in prison?
Even TV relaxation has this edge for me. Sitcoms and reality shows have never drawn my interest. Chicago PD was a favorite for years. Hank Voight’s edgy leadership of the intelligence unit, where almost every story had a substory. How far will we push the limits of the law? What risks will we take? Why do we crave being “first through the door”?
I don’t think I share much of that “courage gene,” but I’ve been blessed to lead a life that hasn’t tested the hypothesis often.
I do have something related. I cannot tolerate cruelty. I’ve been known to intervene in supermarket bullying; challenge a teacher whose unfairness came from internal biases; even walk out of a film to avoid watching torture that I know is pure special effects.
And right now, it is the intentional cruelty of this new administration that is hardest for me to bear. The 15-year-employee called in by a 20-year-old DOGE worker, and told “You have one minute to justify your job.” The weekend email firing of thousands of people, not only without a rationale, but without a single word of regret, or kindness or concern for their futures. This is unconscionable.
The absence of an empathic component to this administration’s actions is not only cruel, but also profoundly stupid. It assumes that wherever we stand on politics, or government efficiency, most of us have no position on human kindness. And that is a gross error.
What may bring this administration to its knees is a simple truth. Most Americans cannot abide unnecessary cruelty, deliberate infliction of pain, or ignoring human suffering just because of politics. We will not endure the moral injury of colluding with evil even in the service of good. Every day an increasing number of us, even those who voted for DJT, are watching in horror and distress as their hopes for change turn into a clumsy, disastrous attack on people trying to do a job in good faith.
Maybe CS Lewis is right when he offers this definition of Courage:
"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point" — C.S. Lewis
What are those virtues we call core values? Honesty. Integrity, Compassion, Accountability. These are just a few. Please stop a second and add your own. What comes to your mind may be unique to you, or something many of us share. When will that value reach its testing point?
When you know your values, you also find your courage. To speak out, to refuse to comply, to act out with bravery and determination that cannot be swayed.
I watched my own Maine governor, Janet Mills, rise to her moment yesterday in an unplanned White House encounter. “I’ll see you in court,” she responded to the bullying threats coming from the man who calls himself President.
Unplanned, unrehearsed. Just pure clear conviction.
It made me proud. And it begged the question we must all answer:
Where will you draw the line?
Thank you, Mary. Well done! I read about your governor this morning. I love her. A woman of integrity and courage. I wish we could bottle her attributes and infuse them into the spines of our so-called Congressional leaders, who have forgotten they swore an oath of loyalty to our Constitution.
If "the cruelty is the point", I can only hope that finally—finally!—the American people are beginning to understand that that cruelty doesn't apply just to the immigrants, just to the Dems, just to the people who saw January 6th as what it was: an attack on the US Capitol, but to anyone who doesn't have the money or power to be of use to Trump's "vision". Margaret Chase Smith stood up to the bullies and now Gov. Mills has stood up to Trump. Now we all have to stand up for ourselves, for the rule of law, for the country, and for simple human kindness.