Sharon Kennedy: Courage is not for the fainthearted
It takes courage to endure the next three weeks. Courage to face the onslaught we know is coming and wish we could avoid but know we can’t. Soon we’ll be wading through a swamp of plastic toys, all types of electronics, aisles jam-packed with clothes from China and a wonderland of wrapping paper, glittering ornaments and songs promoting belief in Santa. As I walk among the aisles of Walmart’s Christmas displays, I’ll be reminded of the years when a December trip to Frankenmuth was absolutely mandatory. “Michigan’s Little Bavaria” was an apt description for this town, and a visit to Bonner’s Christmas Store was the highlight.
I was young in those days, as yet unsullied by tragedies that were to come and change me forever. Like the people around me, I delighted in the beautiful decorations. I was intrigued by the ingenuity of the designers. They must have spent a year planning each new display. I imagined them returning to their drafting boards the day after Christmas to start planning more stupendous exhibits for the following year. If you haven’t been to Bonner’s, try to go. It’s an enchanting experience you won’t forget.
But back to courage. It’s a word we usually associate with men and women who have stood their ground in times of trouble or fought for their country during times of war. But courage comes in many forms. I haven’t heard the term applied to the people who represent us in Congress probably because the word “coward” best describes them. We didn’t know they would choose to represent only a small electorate who may not believe in the rule of law.
As you have undoubtedly figured out, I am not a political analyst. Before I write an opinion piece on current events, I research more than merely consulting Wikipedia. I look through the books of my home library and often quote from statesmen or philosophers of old. They were much more intelligent than we are because they studied the past and were aware of how it affected the future. I also listen to spokespersons who disagree on conservative and liberal issues. I’d like to think most readers do likewise. How can we hope to understand each other if we refuse to hear opposing viewpoints? Are we afraid to discover that what we hold as absolute truths might actually be lies?
On the stage of those writers who are political columnists, I’m a nobody in the wings. I know that. I don’t pretend to be anything other than a mature woman who lives a quiet life on a quiet country road. I’ve written thousands of words about the days of my youth and my innocent childhood. Occasionally I still do, but it would be derelict of me to ignore what’s happening in our country.
Some readers fail to realize that, in my own simple way, I’m trying to alert folks to the precarious situations we’re in. Books are being banned like never before in our history. We’ve normalized crude speech and accepted outlandish behavior from our leaders. We treat anyone who disagrees with us as a freak. We long for the good old days, but we’re unsure which ones we’re talking about. The days of Jim Crow and segregation of the South or the days of the Robber Barons? The days when homosexuals stayed in the closet or when Ronald Reagan was president?
Courage means taking a stand even when it’s unpopular. Courage is not for the fainthearted. It’s for those of us who fear cowardice more than ridicule.
— To contact Sharon Kennedy, send her an email at sharonkennedy1947@gmail.com. Kennedy's new book, "View from the SideRoad: A Collection of Upper Peninsula Stories," is available from her or Amazon.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Sharon Kennedy: Courage is not for the fainthearted
