Stand Strong
A message from our founder.
Fear is the substance we bestow upon shadows.
Like people from every society, we idealize certain traits: courage, generosity, coolness under pressure. When things are good, our ideals can seem somewhat academic. They are conceptual, and seem almost unnecessary to our existence. So we shrug at our ideals, and we go about our business.
But every once in a while, a crisis comes along that tests our faith. A situation arises that reveals whether we can act according to our values or whether we are just talk. We are now in the midst of such a situation.
Today, we face what appears to be a looming crisis. This situation is new to our generation. We haven’t seen this movie before. We don’t know the answer to the problem. There is no pre-packaged solution that permits us to shrug our shoulders and get on with our lives.
For many, the situation is made worse because we can see it coming. We can stare at the screens that connect us to the rest of the world and watch the global infection count tick up hour after hour, wondering when it will reach our town. For others, the foreknowledge is a blessing, because it gives us time to plan and prepare. Perhaps we should have prepared sooner, but the situation affords us no time to waste on regret. From here on, we must make wise use of every moment.
Many people are ill, and many more are certain to become ill. Many businesses are closed, adding to the uncertainty of the future. We cannot escape our circumstances. We can let the fear cripple us and watch our society self-destruct, or we can fight our way through.
Many of our elected leaders feel enormous pressure to do something!, knowing that if they make measured, deliberate decisions, they leave themselves open to blame. Whatever the outcome, segments of society will argue that we would have been better off if a political office holder had done something more drastic, sooner. So the specter of an illness is, in many cases, compounded by governmental responses that ratchet up the pressure in the pressure cooker. Time will tell how society responds. We can implode under the pressure, or we can create a release mechanism.
Every society has had leaders. Not governors. Not legislators. Leaders. Leaders who went first. Sages who offered counsel during difficult times. Guides who led the tribe to a better place. Hunters who went out in search of food for the village. Protectors who grabbed a spear and stood at the edge of the village to guard against raiders. Men and women who remained calm in the face of adversity. People who, despite hopeless situations, dared to defy the chaos and stood tall against the odds.
We chose the spearhead as our logo to honor the spirit of such leaders. It is the footsteps of these people that we seek to follow, and we urge our tribe members to do the same.
Spend time with your family. Read to your kids. Help your neighbors. Comfort those who are afraid. Step outside and appreciate the bounty of the earth that exists alongside the danger. Take a deep breath and summon the courage that our society sorely needs. Be the voice of calm that reduces the pressure in the pressure cooker.
A virus is threatening us. So is fear. Our society could slip into hysteria, if a few strong, calm individuals don’t step forward and tamp down the panic. Be the one who stands defiant against the fear. We talk about our ideals and pay lip service to our values. Now is the time to put our ideals into action.
- Norm Mitchell, Founder
DEFIANT™