Moving Forward with Strength and Courage

On January 20, 2026, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney offered a stunning speech to political and economic world leaders at the Davos World Economic Forum. He brought a courageous dose of truth and clarity to a world bedeviled by a situation some —not he —would describe by an aphorism attributed to Thucydides, “The strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must.”

Not one to be stuck in despair, Carney addressed the “mid-level countries,” (like Canada), noting the dilemma they face amid the naked power grabs of the great powers.  He acknowledged, “The powerful have their power. But we have something too — the capacity to stop pretending, to name reality, to build our strength at home, and to act together.” This wisdom resonated with me as applying to us — the people of the U.S. facing today’s enormous challenges: naming our reality, building our strength and acting together.

For starters, we too need to “name the reality.” As our Black, Brown, Asian, or Indigenous siblings tell us, state-sanctioned terrorism is nothing new.  However, the complete disruption of societal and legal norms here is new, making it harder to take in the reality. One way we can “stop pretending” is to acknowledge that these attacks on our democracy have come faster and with more viciousness and force than we could ever have imagined. This can be terrifying on a visceral level.  

For those of us not yet in the crosshairs, we are generally able to live day by day as if this reality was not happening. It is as if we are living in a cave, keeping ourselves “safe” and “separate” from the upheaval around us; we are afraid to find out what our neighbors are really living through. However, recent on-the-ground reports by clergy and other witnesses in Minneapolis make it more difficult to shut out that reality. If we emerge outside of our “caves,” if we look beyond the everyday “How are you, I’m fine” unreality and connect more with what is real, we may know the fear experienced by those who cannot hide in a “cave.”

Prime Minister Carney also focused on the theme of connection. After urging the delegates at Davos to face reality, the Prime Minister Carney called on all nations to commit to building close and lasting relationships based on being real, not going along to get along, and not settling for surface rituals. Like the internal strength he calls on groups of nations to develop, we can increase the number of deep connections with people — both with those who are like us and those who are different, to build the solidarity that has the power to change things. An important bonus is these connections make life feel worthwhile and keep us going.

Rev. Dr. William Barber, in a recent MLK Commemorative event at the University of Rochester, likewise called on us to build strength by rejecting the separation that oppressive leaders have historically promoted in order to keep groups from joining together to build a dream of peace and justice.

This connection is especially necessary, so that we don’t find ourselves carrying around the mistaken belief that we are the only ones who have such feelings and failing to notice that others are experiencing these same feelings. On a recent episode of the PBS show, Hidden Brain, hosted by Shankar Vedantam, Adam Alter referred to this phenomenon as “pluralistic ignorance,” When we feel alone with our pain, we may hunker down, or even blame ourselves, which only makes things worse.

As Prime Minister Carney called on the nations to build strength, we too must find ways to keep ourselves healthy, to build our strength, to keep despair in check. Taking care of our bodies with exercise and healthy food, getting away from electronics for substantial periods of time, and connecting with nature (even in bad weather, looking at pictures of nature can help) will fortify us for the intense times ahead.  These ideas are easier to talk about than to put into practice, but they are essential for sustaining the long haul we are no doubt in for. One useful strategy we can use to keep our intentions strong, is to check in with a buddy, not only about how we are feeling, but in what ways we are caring for ourselves.

Most importantly, our brains, our bodies and our souls need us to set some limits on the times and ways we take in bad news. We can decide on a few trusted sources for the news and for suggestions for action, actually take action, and still make time for a respite from all the difficulties.  

An even deeper level of care for self and others emerges when we take in the soul-sustaining examples of goodness and love our species is capable of.  They are all around us. Who could not be deeply moved and inspired by the incredible courage of Minneapolis protestors, joined by clergy and citizens from all over the country, demonstrating not only compassion but their commitment to the rule of law, in solidarity with their brothers and sisters being brutally attacked?

Buddhist monks who embarked on a long-distance pilgrimage from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C. to promote peace, compassion, and nonviolence showed us spiritual values in action. Their intended message of national healing, mindfulness, and the power of shared human kindness deeply touched people witnessing them proceed in arctic weather through snow and sleet, across roads glazed with ice.

Responding to people coming to the roadside to honor them despite the weather, the monks offered prayers of gratitude. “When we began this journey, we never imagined this. We couldn't have dreamed of the overwhelming love and support that would meet us along the way. It has been unexpected, humbling, more than we ever thought possible.”

Out of the nightmare, amidst our pain over unfathomable human cruelty, these examples of people being “all in” for courageous action, despite the potential of physical discomfort or violence, show us another side of human beings, the side some would say is our true nature.  We see also that kindness and bravery, like cruelty, can be contagious.

On a lighter side, but equally important, let’s remember joy and laughter are also powerful antidotes to the pain. On display at the protests, the light-hearted creativity shown in costumes, songs, and signs, amidst the heavy background of deep concern, helps fuel our energy to resist. For many of us, the explosions of laughter prompted by our favorite comedians can be the best medicine. As some have said, “Fighting Nazis should be fun.  It’s being a Nazi that sucks.”

At the same time as we connect widely with others and open ourselves to the reality of pain, we, like the nations Carney spoke to, must be, in his word, “pragmatic,” not only in our decisions about how we shall be in the world, but also in how we take care of ourselves. We need to be able to find ways to emotionally handle the full weight of this reality, lest we run back to the cave in denial, or get lost in our own pain. One is to set aside specific times with friends and loved ones to talk about how we are feeling. It may be a little scary to initiate, but it’s a gift to feel the glimmer of relief and the warm glow of a welcome human connection when we can acknowledge our shared humanity.  We can let some of our fear and pain go.

Recalling Prime Minister Carney’s words: “We have something too — the capacity to stop pretending, to name reality, to build our strength at home, and to act together,” we too can move forward with courage, solidarity, and joy.

As we each continue to discern at what level we will personally engage in these efforts (and it will be different for everyone), we can let ourselves be inspired by the nobility and courage our species is capable of. And, As we continually decide how we shall be in these times, Prime Minister Carney’s final words speak to us. “The old order is not coming back. We should not mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy. But from the fracture, we can build something better, stronger, and more just.”