A Writer’s Courage
Courage is not to act without fear, but to act despite it. Today, I implore you to believe that your ideas are worth expressing. More than worth it, they are imperative to share despite whatever controversy may arise after the fact. I not only say this for my fellow writers, but as a reminder for myself also. I believe it is our duty as written influencers to convey thought worth provoking, to inspire the resting mind, and to stir the souls of the individual.
You may not see yourself this way, as a leader of thought, but I would propose the perspective that all writing is influential so long as it is read.
James Sant, Courage, Anxiety and Despair: Watching the Battle (1850)
The Duty
Writers are thinkers. Perhaps overthinkers. Regardless, there is a lot to be said by the one with the pen, gifted with a power that provides special eyes to observe the world through and an incredible mind that translates untapped feelings. Though with this power arrives the burden of duty.
Upon first glance, this duty is an obvious responsibility, but when accepted, can be a terrifying obligation. You see, it is only truth, which requires vulnerable expression, leaving the wielder of the pen open to fatal attacks. Though the path of truth is embedded with trials worth facing in order to deliver the message needing to be told, it is not suitable for the weak. Not weak as in afraid, but weak as in fickle.
Now more than ever, this duty is not to be seen as a manipulative opportunity. If our word—the only weapon we have—cannot be trusted, then thought will be lost in an unrooted opinion, and emotions will be baseless in an abyss of passion.
Thought Provokers
Books make an impact on any who reads them. Without exaggeration, they can be used for good or evil. Good in terms of helping the young mind think for themselves and provide moral dilemmas to be debated. Evil in terms of authorising falsehoods and imploring that what is being stated is the absolute truth. Our world does not blatantly provide yes or no answers to what is or is not moral without referring to religion or philosophies—both of which, mostly I do not believe are evil, but neither can be proven as an absolute truth without faith or belief.
There is still an area of unknowing that humbles the stubborn, yet birthed an entire ideology that deems life is conclusively meaningless. But just because there is a nothing we are unaware of does not provide the conclusive evidence that life lacks meaning. Since there is room for speculation, that is what makes the writer’s role so exciting. There is thought to be provoked here, and is necessary to be should the masses wish to further develop, not just intellectually, but emotionally, perhaps even spiritually.
Books make an impact on any who reads them. I repeat to bestow upon the writer the duty of truth they must abide by when writing their stories. The world cannot be changed for the better if new ideas and new perspectives cannot be provided, meaning you, the writer, must provide them. The purpose is not to convince the public of a viewpoint, but to allow them to think for themselves, analyse the message, and create their own beliefs. The moment books stop provoking thought is the moment all ceases to think for themselves, and we cannot have that.
Andrea Mantegna, Triumph of the Virtues (1502)
The Paradox
However, creativity not only sets the creative free, but it also confines them. It is the polarity that is difficult to straddle when the creative heart wishes to soar, but the critical mind holds it reserved. This reservation invites fear. Fear of criticism, fear of imperfection, and fear of being wrong.
Though to that I say, claim your courage.
Creatives have an exponential amount of passion coursing through their veins, which ultimately enslaves them to its ferocity, yes, and such a fiery emotion is often fickle, so therefore, unreliable during the times it is not burning at its highest flame. But will—that is a power which remains at the core of the heart, strengthened the more the individual sources meaning in their creative endeavours and the more the individual courageously acts upon truth.
The Reprieve
“There are no proofs in philosophy.”
—Dr James Orr
The duty may feel like a heavy weight to bear, and that may be because it is. Many writers are self-conscious, self-critical, and burdened by the perfect creative standard they set for themselves. However, these acts do not promise better art, but rather steal it away. So I want to propose to you the above quote and inform you that whatever message you wish to convey in your written works, they cannot be definitely refuted.
Claude Monet, Adolphe Monet Reading in a Garden (1866)
Perhaps it is in the nature of one who was never heard as a child to be stubborn in their beliefs and hide in the safety of a mind that cannot be rebutted in the present. But if you are afraid your written ideas will be disputed, take refuge in the fact that there are no proofs in philosophy. Whatever is proposed can only be discussed. Others may be excellent conveyors of their beliefs and bring forth an almost flawless argument as to why what they are depicting is correct over another’s, but they aren’t. This is the illusion fear likes to feed you.
Allow this simple fact to set you free from the chains that pinch your wrists, telling you that your beliefs are unsubstantiated or wrong. It can’t be proven. So long as you decide to live by your duty as a writer, the substance you write can only be scrutinised by preference, not dismissed by fact.
So take courage and speak loudly for the people who are still too fearful. It won’t be easy to be so vulnerable, but the truth will be worth it.
