Amazing Women Rock - You Don’t Have To Be Shot At To Be Brave

You Don’t Have To Be Shot At To Be Brave

Staging a one-woman "demonstration" in London’s Trafalgar Square is not without hazards.

Just as my short “protest” came to a close, three of the Heritage Wardens who police the place pitched up to ask if I had a permit.

“A permit?” I echoed uncertainly. Uh oh. I hadn’t thought of that.

I should have known better having recently shared a podcast of John Simpson’s tongue-in-cheek tale of the permit-less mob being thwarted in their attempt to destroy Iran’s ancient city of Persepolis in 1979 for lack of the proper paperwork.

But I’d been preoccupied trying to find – at the last minute – a big fat green felt marker and placard paper. Permits did not top the priority list of this neophyte protester.

My singular stand in the square was to be a small contribution to the Worldwide Wave of Silence that marked the 40th day of mourning after the death of Neda Agha Soltan, whose killing in the streets of Tehran galvanized protesters across her country, and created sympathy for the Iranian “green” movement around the world.

As I was unaccompanied, I asked an obliging young German man (whose name I later learned is Christoph Müller), to document the event with my digital camera. My hope, based solely on the fact that he had an impressive piece of SLR equipment hanging around his neck, was that he would capture a few reasonable pics of the proceedings, and not pocket my camera, being already in possession of a much more expensive and sophisticated one of his own.

I think he did a commendable job, but I leave you to be the judge:

My small act of defiance pales in comparison to the sacrifices being made by brave women and men throughout Iran (and elsewhere around the world for that matter), many of whom have been brutally beaten, imprisoned, tortured and even murdered as they struggle for that in which they believe.

I’m not sure I could do what they have done. Which got me to thinking about fear and bravery and how people see their own courage, and, more particularly, possibly the lack thereof.

And that thinking brought me back to a comment made by AWR visitor Elisabeth Gordon with respect to a recently posted article entitled Awaken Your Inner Warrior. Here’s what Elisabeth had to say:

“Developing your inner warrior is not only super important, it is an ongoing journey and practice for the continued pursuit of mastery. This means tackling what you fear and learning to walk through your fear on a regular basis - pushing against that which scares us is the only way we grow stronger.”

Women and men around the world walk through their fear and push against that which scares them every day. Often they must do it as a matter of survival.

I walked through my own fear in Trafalgar Square, to stand as tall as my 162 cm would allow, with a pink (of course!) placard asking for two minutes of silent reflection in recognition of those who have been killed during the last six weeks of protests in Iran.

It took most of the courage I could muster to stand alone in a public square with a sign, even though the chances of being shot at, beaten, or imprisoned for doing so were virtually non-existent.

Why was that I asked myself? Could it be that we are sometimes intimidated rather than inspired (or perhaps both in equal measure), by the astonishing acts of bravery we see others perform?

And if it’s the former, if we are indeed intimidated, might that stop us from exploring our own inner strength for fear of finding it lacking somehow when measured against martyrdom, for example.

“My God,” says our inner voice, “There’s NO WAY I could do that!”

Our own insecurities become the filters through which we judge our capacity for bravery, and we see ourselves as somehow smaller, weaker or less capable than those we view as heroes.

Because of those misperceptions, we choose to do nothing instead of doing something (anything!) that might reveal our own courage to ourselves and to the world.

I’m proud of myself for standing in Trafalgar Square with a sign (even if I didn’t have a permit lol), to honour the bravery of others who walk through their own fears on different battlefields.

It may have been a small gesture, but for me it was also a courageous one. It was an opportunity to further develop my inner warrior, and to remind myself that you don’t have to get shot at to be brave.

When you feel fear, take a step toward it. You might be surprised by what you find.

P.S. And do something - ANYTHING, no matter how small it might seem - to awaken your inner warrior: every act of courage and bravery counts!

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written by rupertbu, August 01, 2009

Next time try "Speakers Corner", NE corner of Hyde Park. No permits needed there,I think.

Good to see HW's epaulettes matched the Pink theme.

Congratulations on overwhelming your imagination!

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written by Susan Macaulay, August 01, 2009

I didn't think of Speaker's Corner... LOL

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written by kami , August 01, 2009

I saw it, u r great, your manner is so much nice, I hope the best for all people that issue peacefully
thank u

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written by Susan Macaulay, August 01, 2009

I hope so too. I hope we can all live in peace on day.

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written by Nader In USA, August 03, 2009

Thank you Susan for taking the time, for caring and mustering up the courage to go solo. I also prefer your choice over Hyde Park...
“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems” -Ghandi

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written by Susan Macaulay, August 03, 2009

Thanks for the positive feedback and the insightful Ghandi quote.

Trafalgar Square and going solo happened by default rather than choice.

I had asked initiators of the silent wave if anything was planned for London, where I'm currently visiting (my "home base" is Dubai). They said no one had come forward to help, despite repeated requests on twitter. And they suggested either Trafalgar or Leicester Square...

I would have preferred to be with others - there's strength in numbers lol. In my experience, being in a group often makes defiance easier, maybe because the group members somehow become more anonymous...

However, it seems that it's my destiny, at least at this time and in many other things besides this one, to be "solo."

While this is not my preference, I refuse to let it stop me from living an abundant life. I'm making the choice not to let solitude or being solo stop me from doing important and/or joyful things that others might perhaps choose not do for lack of company or companionship.

I hope others will somehow be inspired by my actions and choices to awaken their inner warriors

In the meantime, I'm going to keep nurturing my own warrior within

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written by Valerie Abernathy, August 06, 2009

Susan, I believe you do indeed have it in you to become a 'Warrior' of some repute. Having known you for some years, it is obvious that you are becoming a Woman who makes a difference!!! How many of us can truly say that. You amaze and inspire me continuously.
I know its a well known quote but cannot think who said it.......Evil only florishes when good (wo)men do nothing.....I saw in the video one lady taking your photo.....who knows where it will go and the German guy will never forget either, I bet you planted a seed.
lots of love
Val

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written by Elaine kelly, October 11, 2009

amazing, this is a test

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