At the start of the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, I heard Jamie Foxx sing the national anthem. At the start of an NBA Finals game, I heard Usher sing the national anthem. Each one belted out sounds that soothed my soul and subsequently brought tears to my eyes.
At a time when so many African Americans had been feeling deep anger and sadness in the wake of many deaths, I stood there watching two African American men put their souls into the song of our nation.
What particularly hit me was how the song ended:
“And the home…of the…brave…”
These days, I feel more and more frustrated when I hear people tell me to “be fearless,” “get over my fear,” “put my fear to the side,” “get beyond my fear,” etc. First, I don’t believe that telling someone to not feel something works, I think it makes them feel it more severely. Second, I don’t believe the antidote to fear is fearlessness; I believe the antidote to fear is courage.
What if, instead of trying to pretend as if we’re not afraid, we admit that we are afraid, tell ourselves it’s OK to feel afraid, and then step into that fear with courage?
We live not in the land of the unafraid, but the land of the brave. So let us emulate those who lead with courage so that our national anthem once again describes the nation we call home.