Courage Is Contagious. What we can gain from Natalia, Rebiya, Laura and Euna.

This week we lost another brave warrior, out there in the world fighting the good fight. Her name was Natalia Estemirova and before she was murdered she had been investigating human rights abuses by the government-backed militia in Chechnya. What is astonishing is that two of her colleagues were targeted and killed in the recent past. She must have known that her death was a very real possibility and yet she chose to keep investigating, documenting and exposing crimes against Chechnyans.

Also this past week we watched as the Chinese government cracked down against Uighurs in Urumqi, China (called East Turkestan by Uighurs). At least 184 people died and more than 1,400 Uighur men were arrested and have disappeared. 62 year-old grandmother and activist, Rebiya Kadeer, is being blamed for inciting the violence, though she has consistently supported a non-violent approach to change. Her only crime has been to publicly criticize the policies that deny her people basic human rights, and even after five years in prison and forced exile she continues to stand up and speak out.

Laura Ling and Euna Lee may have known that by going to China/North Korea and attempting to show the world the realities there, they were treading outside protective waters. They went anyway, committed as journalists to documenting the truth. For that they are in the fight of their lives, facing a twelve-year sentence to hard labor, with few diplomatic allies to protect them.

This week my mechanic ripped me off and I failed to speak up. Instead of raising hell or confronting him, I paid him and now plan to avoid him. It may seem a trite comparison, but the point is that we all face moments in our daily lives where we can choose to be brave or be quiet.

As someone who has spent time in Chinese detention and worked in war zones, I have had my fair share of moments to stand up for my beliefs. I am proud of how I acted, but usually there were guns involved.

It is when I am confronted with the small daily challenges that I often take the easy way out and avoid confrontation, like with my mechanic. Although I aspire to meet any obstacle, big or small, with courage, I can lose my nerve when it feels easier and more polite to stay silent.

Last year, my husband called me from Beijing, China the night before he climbed a 120 ft. pole near the Olympic Bird’s Nest Stadium and dropped a banner calling for Tibetan freedom. He was feeling really guilty about spoiling the party for all the citizens of China, saying, “I hate to be the one to piss in their Cheerios”. He managed to find the guts to go through with the protest by holding images in his mind of Tibetans who had been killed or disappeared in the crackdown leading up to the Olympics. He drew strength from their courage. 
   
For everyone out there who is afraid of confronting a co-worker, or calling someone out when they spew hatred, or even nervous to challenge their mechanic when they feel overcharged, lets all draw strength from Natalia, Rebiya, Laura and Euna. Hold images of them in your mind when standing up for your beliefs and you will not be alone.

They say courage is contagious, so lets pass it on. Do you have a story of a time when you were brave? Who inspires you to stand up?


Truthfully,
Kirsten Westby
Change-Maker/Rule-Breaker/Story-Teller

Featured in Ed and Deb Shapiro’s new book, BE THE CHANGE, How Meditation Can Transform You And The World, with forewords by HH Dalai Lama and Robert Thurman.


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