Courage calls to courage everywhere. Millicent Fawcet's suffragist rallying cry is immortalised in her London statue.
Believing that courage will be met with courage can be tough. Being the first to speak up, the first to speak out or the figurehead for a movement or a protest must be hard. It means being on the branch of a tree hoping that the noise you hear is people coming with a ladder to support you, and not with a saw.
I've been wondering recently what happens when the call of courage is not met. For the shy person who speaks up, makes the first move, or tries to deal with the bully. On a global scale how does it feel to have stood up to the powerful and rich and called it out, only to be villified and threatened. Does that courage die? All those acts of courage take similar strength. Over the past couple of years some very courageous women have spoken out and found themselves villified and threatened - think Christine Blasey Ford, Rose McGowan. Greta Thunberg has shown us courage and inspired action. Malala likewise. Women having the courage to speak out on a global stage. Causing things to change, but not, I think, overnight.
Maya Angelou thought that
" courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage. "
Over the past year, I have seen some close friends and relatives show amazing courage as they dealt with those unexpected blows, blockages and challenges that life or other people throw. I have seen people find reserves of courage that they didn't know they had, when their heart and gut tell them they must resist, act or sometimes, show restraint. They have taken action. They have picked themselves up. They have dealt with loss, illness, grief and injustice and somehow found the courage to say this will not make me smaller. They have even, just this weekend, fought off burglars in their home. Sometimes just getting out of bed and facing the world takes courage.
Millicent was right - courage begets courage. It starts small and it grows. I think you know it is courage if it feels like it comes with a risk. The risk of being alone, of no one hearing your call or hearing your call and not answering it. I think the courageous know that even if no one comes, they are doing what is right for them - and to do otherwise would be untrue to themselves and their values.
As I stood next to Millicent Fawcet's statue, I couldn't resist a shout of "Votes for Women" . My wee cry was beautifully met by big smiles and raised fists from a few other women also paying tribute. It was a tiny thing - not courageous - but I felt a glimpse of the hope and connection that real courage could bring. Have courage. It helps.
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