Many people on campus are feeling overwhelmed and helpless with the myriad of changes that are occurring in our country and world. We need, somehow, to find the strength to pull out of our fear and replace it with courage and bravery. In looking for guidance in how to do this, I pulled out Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde’s book entitled How We Learn to be Brave. Rev. Budde is the Episcopal Bishop of Washington and has not shied away from speaking truth to power.
In her book, Rev. Budde explains that she discovered courage from daily practice, focus, and mindfulness. She does not find strength from social media, blame games, and the like. Rather, her ability to be strong comes from within. She demonstrates that preparation and alignment prepare us for acting in “decisive moments.”
In one of her chapters, there is a retelling of a portion of Anne Tyler’s novel, Saint Maybe. In it, a minister is working with a struggling young man and responds to the man’s wail that he is wasting his life. “This is your life,” he says softly. “Lean into it. View your burden as a gift. It’s the theme that has been given you to work with. This the only life you’ll have.”
Rev. Budde illustrates ways to live through a life quake and a facedown, showing that hard, relentless work coupled with a belief that your passions and goals are worthy will keep you afloat. She references many books and inspiring individuals and described some of them as being “lifelines” that helped her during challenging times. One of them is Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, a writer whose work is devoted to making us aware of the need to save our planet from the global climate crisis. Johnson described herself as follows: “I’m not a fan of hope as a guiding principle, because it assumes that the outcome will be good. But I am completely enamored with the amount of possibility that’s available to us.”
There is certainly the possibility that we will get things right. How it will happen is up to us. Rev. Budde teaches us that we have the bravery, determination, and grace within ourselves to proceed.
