Truth is an existence that is chosen.
Putting aside today all of the negative, all of the escapes from reality. Putting aside today the little voice in our head that makes you wonder who you really are. Where do you belong in this life? Where do you belong in society? What is your purpose? Your plan? We've all wondered. What are your weaknesses and your strengths. What do you suck at and what do you excel at? Do you hate reading? Writing? Are you even reading this right now? Do you prefer peace or do like the adrenaline that comes along with a fight? Are you passive or do you stand up for yourself and others? Do you like the waters calm or do you prefer it choppy and dangerous? Are you kind? Are you smart? Are you selfless? Are you honest? Are you brave?
Yes. I have read the entire series of Divergent. Twice. Yes. I am now reading Divergent Thinking to get into the minds of the Divergent and find out about our fears and what it means to overcome them, or simply accept them and most past them. To find out what others think that it means to be BRAVE. And...no. I am not giving a review because I would rave on way too long, and I have spoiler tendencies:) But note. I do love the series. I love anything that teaches bravery, hope, and selflessness. Which is also why I love The Hunger Games.
So I have read some very interesting things thus far, and wanted to comment.
1: What the Candor say about the Amity faction. " Those who seek peace above all else will always deceive to keep the waters calm." Also stated in the book Divergent Thinking from writer Rosemary Clement-Moore "It is true that throughout history people have, in the name of peace, let terrible things happen. There's a pretty dead-on real-world example of this in Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister in the 1930's. In order to preserve peace, he allowed Hitler's Germany to stomp over a good part of Europe until it became clear that Adolph wasn't going to stop unless someone made him."
And in my opinion, look what happened trying to keep peace. Millions of innocent men, women, and children were starved, tormented, beaten, and slaughtered in despicable ways, leaving the death toll so high that generations upon generations of us know about it, and generations upon generations will continue to learn about it. Was that peaceful? I think not. Was Neville peaceful even though he didn't get his hands dirty? I think not. Standing by and watching leaves your hands bloody and stained, just as if you had done the killing yourself.
I believe in a peace of mind. But I believe in standing up for yourself and the innocent. And if that means the waters will become rough, so be it. I believe also in "ordinary acts of bravery." Divergent.
So to our next topic. "Ordinary acts of bravery." What does that mean?
Ordinary acts of bravery can occur in your daily life. It doesn't mean the absence of fear. It doesn't mean that you can't be afraid of anything at all. It only means to look that fear in the face and tell it that it's not going to stop you. It means that you have to recognize that fear, overcome that fear, and continue on knowing full and well that this is your decision and it's what you were meant to do. And it doesn't have to be something crazy like saving the world. Most people in this life won't have a chance to do that, if it's even possible, which I'm starting to think it's not. There are so many corrupt. The most you can do is strengthen your ideas and yourself and stand strong to face and weed out some of the corrupt. No. Ordinary acts of bravery can be standing up for somebody standing beside you. It can mean facing your own personal demons and beating them into the ground. And then doing that every single day. To be brave could mean by simply getting out of bed in the morning when you just don't think you can. I know we're talking about Divergent, but one of my favorite quotes from Catching Fire is "The sun persists in rising, so I make myself stand." Standing up when you don't think you can anymore can be brave. Going on stage with only you and your guitar for the first time is brave. Sending in submission letters for your manuscript and then facing that first, second, or third rejection is brave. There are so many ways to be brave.
Back to the very first line of this blog entry. Truth is an existence that is chosen. I wrote that. I wrote that because that in and of itself is the truth. We choose the truth. We choose whether or not we want to tell the truth or lie. When the truth is told to us we choose to listen and accept or ignore and defy. Sometimes the truth is hard. Really hard. Sometimes listening to or telling the truth will be one of the hardest things that you will ever have to do. That is why it is a choice. And by telling the truth...or even listening can be a simple act of bravery in itself.
Selflessness. Selflessness is brave because in a world of selfishness and greed we have to choose to overcome that. We have to go against the grain, tide, or wind. (Whichever analogy you prefer.) When one is being selfish and eating their dinners of steak every night, another is starving on the street digging through dumpsters to find their dinner. It is selfless to share your food with them, to give them money in the grocery line when they don't have enough of their own and have to start putting their food back just so they can get their baby formula and diapers. It is selfless to hand out and extra blanket or shirt when one is cold. Or to give them a twenty when they are standing with a sign on the street corner in the bitter cold. Even if it's your last twenty. Acts of selflessness are acts of bravery. It is brave to do without so another can just scrape by, so another doesn't go hungry or cold. Protecting someone you love is selfless and brave, even it means sacrificing your own life. You may do it because you have a heart, you may do it because you have been there. It doesn't matter why. You are brave.
And it is brave to be smart in a world that thinks it's cooler to be stupid, in a world that wants you to be stupid. It is brave to dig deeper and learn. Whether it be for recreation, fun, yourself, or the truth.
And it is brave to be peaceful. Because sometimes you have to be peaceful to the ones that have hurt you the most. And that is SO damn hard. That is what makes it brave. It is brave to smile, most of all forgive even if it doesn't feel whole or real, and move forward. Just don't become so peaceful that you can't reach out of your own comfort zone to help someone else despite the consequence. Don't be afraid of rough waters.
This whole thing is really just my personal opinion about what it means to be divergent. It is my personal thoughts on bravery. It is what I feel really matters. So I will leave now, but I will leave you with one final thought and quote that I really, truly loved from Divergent Thinking.
"Fear isn't an enemy of bravery. Driving people to free themselves completely from fear doesn't necessarily mean their actions will be brave. Fear is what makes people brave- feelings afraid, yet acting in spite of that fear." Elizabeth Norris
That, my friends and followers, is what ordinary acts of bravery are all about.
References from Divergent and Divergent Thinking. Also one from "Catching Fire." And a sincere thank you to both Veronica Roth and Suzanne Collins for some meaningful, inspiring, and unforgettable trilogies.
I have thought a lot about this. I love each faction for their different strengths. But if I really had to choose. I choose Dauntless.
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