Good morning !
These are dangerous times, an old song by Harry Belafonte (if you are old enough to know him) came into my feed just now. It was released in 1997 - 29 years ago. And somehow, it sounded like it was written today.
That made me stop and wonder:
How many of us feel like we are living in dangerous times now?
And why does an old song feel so fresh? Listen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CQc7-2TLMI&list=RDQ1oi6TgY1fQ&index=24 and you'll see what I mean.
I think there are two kinds of dangerous times.
The first is genuinely outside us.
War.
Violence.
Economic instability.
Social upheaval.
Injustice.
Loss.
I won't minimize any of it.
But there is another kind of danger.
Quieter.
It is the danger of what those things can make us believe about ourselves.
"There is nothing I can do."
"This isn't the right time."
"Maybe later."
"I shouldn't say anything."
"What if I fail?"
"What will people think?"
"Who am I to do this?"
And suddenly, without anyone physically imprisoning us, we become self-contained prisons.
Sometimes not now is wisdom.
Sometimes staying quiet is the safe and sensible choice.
The question is:
Whose voice is making the decision-your wisdom, or your fear?
Because confidence isn't the absence of fear.
Sometimes confidence is simply:
"I am afraid, and I am going to take the next step anyway."
Not the giant step.
The first step.
Say no.
Make the call.
Leave the room.
Tell the truth.
Apply.
Create.
Ask.
Begin.
Stop waiting for permission.
So maybe the real question isn't:
"How dangerous are these times?"
Maybe it's this:
"What happens to us when we allow dangerous times to convince us that we are powerless?"
The world can frighten us.
But self-paralysis can quietly steal a lifetime.
Perhaps courage isn't always about doing something extraordinary.
Perhaps courage is refusing to let fear make your ordinary life smaller.
So I'll leave you with one question this Sunday:
What in your world is making it feel like 'dangerous times?"
Hit reply and tell me.
I'd genuinely love to hear from you.
Dr Sandra Hamilton
Cultivating Quiet Confidence and Power
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