I’ve been struggling the last few weeks: an-ever-shifting combination of befuddled, sad, scared, alarmed, and disgusted.
Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States. Almost 58 years after his death, his words feel especially relevant yet again.
- “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
- “I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, other-centered men can build up.”
- “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
On Tuesday, we witnessed the light and love much of the world is craving. Prime Minister Mark Carney stood on the world stage and confronted the darkness. He named the rhetoric, coercion, and power-mongering for what it is. Prime Minister Carney clearly stated that accommodations and compliance will not buy safety. He reclaimed agency and control in the midst of what feels like an unpredictable, downward spiral.
“The powerful have their power. But we have something too: the capacity to stop pretending, to name realities, to build our strength at home and to act together. That is Canada’s path. We choose it openly and confidently, and it is a path wide open to any country willing to take it with us.” Mark Carney.
Just in case we’ve forgotten: words matter. The lying bigotry is crushing, yes. But thoughtful, educated, earnest discourse is hopeful and mobilizing. My mood has shifted. My resolve invigorated. “In the midst of darkness, light persists.” Mahatma Gandhi
(Read or listen to Mark Carney’s speech in Davos here.)
Great post Karen.