Try not to be fooled today or any other day.
There are countless distractions vying for your time and energy, but the challenge lies in keeping the truly important things at the center of your life. How do you recognize what genuinely matters to you? Look no further than your calendar and your bank account. They reveal your authentic priorities with unflinching honesty.
Perhaps it’s time to reconsider what you claim to value. Many people proclaim their commitment to certain ideals while clutching tightly to safety, comfort, and preserving their resources. They’ll look you in the eye and profess deep dedication to principles that rarely manifest in their daily actions or significant investments of time and money.
The elements that make life worth fighting for are often invisible to the eye but profound in experience. Love and justice immediately come to mind. When present in your life, you feel their transformative power. When absent, you find yourself searching for the path that leads toward them.
My years of experience within justice communities has connected me with many dedicated individuals doing meaningful work. For them, it’s far more than employment. It’s an extension of their core beliefs, a purpose that transcends mere occupation.
I’ve both witnessed and participated in powerful “moments”, those searing instances of collective consciousness when someone finally voices what everyone is thinking but hesitant to say. I’ve also felt the weight of opportunities lost, when the moment slipped away and it no longer felt right to recapture that intensity, to say what needed to be said and “remove all doubt.”
I deeply admire those who reject cultural norms of polite restraint in favor of authentic self-expression. Their willingness to be vulnerable and courageous stands in stark contrast to the prevailing desire for acceptance over distinction. These qualities, vulnerability and courage, are precious and increasingly rare in today’s world.
Are those who shy away from these moments of potential advocacy for love or justice fools? Perhaps. Yet the critical moment to act often arises precisely when you’re on the verge of saying something universally understandable, but instead, you channel that energy toward reaffirming that love deserves our sacrifices and that justice forms the foundation of our shared humanity. No one would ever call you a fool for standing firmly on these principles.
