1. Opus Magazine | April-May 2016
I believe freedom is priceless. It is not measured by
justice, fairness or tears. I have sought justice, fighting
and standing for the rights of the vulnerable. Today,
I know freedom transcends what you think, feel or
deserve. Freedom rises above all . . . and lives not in
castles, nor prairies, cities, mansions or deep space;
it lives within our essence. It resides in the very core
and nature of who we are, when we have the courage
to live FREE, no matter what . . . A foundation for
Transformative Justice.
The 21st
century’s objectives for social justice will not be
won on a conventional battlefield; they will be achieved
through an unabashed belief in the power of this evolved
brand of justice. The transformative justice warrior’s
armor is not made of metal, nor is it impenetrable. It
comes from a belief in valiant vulnerability and the
refusal to be daunted by what is brutal or inequitable
in this world. I am armed with grace and love, grit and
guts – radical compassion and collective tribe – the
true gear for 21st
century social change.
When I’m living “on purpose” I believe I was put on this
earth to be a vehicle for love and grace in the world.
Early on when I was a kid, I used to hide behind my
rose colored spectacles, embarrassed sometimes, that
this is how I saw the world. Today, many years later, I no
longer hide my appreciation of the beauty in life, even in
the midst of pain; oddly it enables me to do the work that
I do. When I was based at juvenile court working with
young trafficking survivors, my team would sometimes
call me Polly (short for Pollyanna). Though they’d often
shake their heads, it’s what got me up in the middle
of the night to write when our kids got arrested. My
belief and love for the children, not my hatred or anger
I N S P I R AT I O N
I am both a dreamer and a fighter. A warrior
for transformation from an ever-growing tribe.
Pericles, some 2500 years ago, said “freedom is
the sure possession alone of those who have the
courage to defend it.”
Graceful
THE ART
OF THE
WARRIORby Sharon Jeanine Simpson-Joseph, Esq.
I am both a dreamer and a fighter. A warrior
for transformation from an ever-growing tribe.
Pericles, some 2500 years ago, said “freedom is
the sure possession alone of those who have the
courage to defend it.”
Graceful
THE ART
OF THE
WARRIORby Sharon Jeanine Simpson-Joseph, Esq.
for their perpetrators. Please understand, by no means
do I excuse these perpetrators’ acts, I vehemently
condemn them. But it is love that gives me the strength
to fight, not hate.
Let us be armed not with hatred and hopelessness, no
matter WHAT the circumstances, but with a brand of
justice – transformative justice, that cannot be taken
away, because it lives within us, and provides strength
so profound, that nothing and no one can diminish it.
Recently, in the wake of the massacre in South
Carolina, I see this philosophy emphasized so clearly
-- in the courage of the people of South Carolina and
the stunning way they are driving change.
One of my heroines, Anne Frank, to me says it
profoundly, I pray to one day thank her myself for the
words I choose to live by and that have inspired an
age – I still believe in the inherent goodness of people.
I believe the foundation for true freedom lies in this
transformative approach.
I want to add my word’s to those of Anne. I do believe
that it is standing in this belief, no matter what the
circumstance, that ultimately gives us the power to
advance the goodness of people. While we recognize
that evil does indeed exist in this world, we can choose
to view it as vastly outweighed by the good. Standing
in that belief, allow us to pass on what is powerful and
pure to the next generation, so that, as a global society,
we can have the courage to be fueled by love. Not as
a weakness, but an ultimate strength.
Calling all Graceful Warriors
I believe freedom is priceless. It is not measured by
justice, fairness or tears. I have sought justice, fighting
and standing for the rights of the vulnerable. Today,
I know freedom transcends what you think, feel or
deserve. Freedom rises above all . . . and lives not in
castles, nor prairies, cities, mansions or deep space;
it lives within our essence. It resides in the very core
and nature of who we are, when we have the courage
to live FREE, no matter what . . . A foundation for
Transformative Justice.
The 21st
century’s objectives for social justice will not be
won on a conventional battlefield; they will be achieved
through an unabashed belief in the power of this evolved
brand of justice. The transformative justice warrior’s
armor is not made of metal, nor is it impenetrable. It
comes from a belief in valiant vulnerability and the
refusal to be daunted by what is brutal or inequitable
in this world. I am armed with grace and love, grit and
guts – radical compassion and collective tribe – the
true gear for 21st
century social change.
When I’m living “on purpose” I believe I was put on this
earth to be a vehicle for love and grace in the world.
Early on when I was a kid, I used to hide behind my
rose colored spectacles, embarrassed sometimes, that
this is how I saw the world. Today, many years later, I no
longer hide my appreciation of the beauty in life, even in
the midst of pain; oddly it enables me to do the work that
I do. When I was based at juvenile court working with
young trafficking survivors, my team would sometimes
call me Polly (short for Pollyanna). Though they’d often
shake their heads, it’s what got me up in the middle
of the night to write when our kids got arrested. My
belief and love for the children, not my hatred or anger
for their perpetrators. Please understand, by no means
do I excuse these perpetrators’ acts, I vehemently
condemn them. But it is love that gives me the strength
to fight, not hate.
Let us be armed not with hatred and hopelessness, no
matter WHAT the circumstances, but with a brand of
justice – transformative justice, that cannot be taken
away, because it lives within us, and provides strength
so profound, that nothing and no one can diminish it.
Recently, in the wake of the massacre in South
Carolina, I see this philosophy emphasized so clearly
-- in the courage of the people of South Carolina and
the stunning way they are driving change.
One of my heroines, Anne Frank, to me says it
profoundly, I pray to one day thank her myself for the
words I choose to live by and that have inspired an
age – I still believe in the inherent goodness of people.
I believe the foundation for true freedom lies in this
transformative approach.
I want to add my word’s to those of Anne. I do believe
that it is standing in this belief, no matter what the
circumstance, that ultimately gives us the power to
advance the goodness of people. While we recognize
that evil does indeed exist in this world, we can choose
to view it as vastly outweighed by the good. Standing
in that belief, allow us to pass on what is powerful and
pure to the next generation, so that, as a global society,
we can have the courage to be fueled by love. Not as
a weakness, but an ultimate strength.
Calling all Graceful Warriors