Fast or Far?
Harriet Tubman had a brain injury too.
Liberatus began nine years ago with a vision of healing and a mission to creatively explore truth and beauty in an online journal, and to invite others into the pursuit.
Now, nine years later, Liberatus is 19 writers with firsthand professional experience in American politics and government.
Liberatus is 60 people who have contributed to content creation.
Liberatus is 131 donors scattered across 20 states who wish to be part of something bigger than self to make our country stronger.
Liberatus is two partner organizations that we fund every time a copy of Volume One is claimed on the website.
Together, we created over 130 digital journal entries about how to pursue healing and unity, and Volume One. We've shipped or hand-delivered 215 copies so far.
And we did all of this together without major funding, and without anyone getting paid to work full time.
And now, which way forward? Fast or far?
As we look forward, I hope to continue creating inspiration for American unity by becoming a biannual publication, and to use Liberatus as a platform for leadership development.
But my vision for Liberatus is not to create a personal brand. After a traumatic brain injury, I of course would like to go fast because I want quick wins, and the societal dignity that comes with them.
But making our country more just and free is about going far together, creating something bigger than self for the next generation.
Harriet Tubman had a brain injury, too
Before she led free people away from the abusers who treated them like slaves, Harriet Tubman survived a brain injury too. When she was young, she was hit in the head by a two-pound weight, thrown by a so-called slave owner.
She became a conductor in the Underground Railroad, a nurse, and a spy. In 1896 as she looked back over her career, she had this to say: “I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can't say — I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.”
Why leadership training matters
Inspiration for American unity is the story of how we make our country more just and free. Based on the nine years of work we have done together across partisan and ideological differences with a faith-rooted approach, I believe that we make our country more just and free when we collaborate by being inclusive of others, when we build trust by searching for wisdom and uphold the Constitution, and when we build endurance by creating new solutions over time to make the next generation stronger. I believe that this is the American idea, and it's a pattern for how we can move through dysfunction to unity.
Endurance is critical because we as a generation have to see through our feelings in order to create the future we all say we want.
Endurance isn't only about pushing ourselves and doing hard things on purpose. It's also about finding out how to do hard things. It's about finding the route—then showing others the way—without losing a passenger.
Leadership training for Liberatus matters because now more than ever, we need high-performing teams committed to the lifestyle of collaborate, build trust, and build endurance. Leadership training is about doubling down on team culture—and creating space for more leaders—so that we can go far.
The mission to inspire American unity
To complete leader training, compile Volume Two, produce digital content on leadership as we build the community, and reconnect with our stakeholders through in-person meetings and events, I've set the goal of $2,000 in monthly commitments. ($2,000 monthly is 12% of the larger goal we will need to raise for biannual publication, and will mean I can make regular progress on these objectives by committing 10-15 hours per week).
We have never reached this level of stable funding, and yet together we produced beautiful results. I am eager to build on what we have done so far, and return to a stable, normal life after a brain injury; currently there are nine donors giving a combined $210 a month to keep Liberatus online. My priorities right now are primarily physical therapy, vestibular therapy, and treatments to repair brain damage—and increased funding will not only cover the costs of doing the work to lead the organization, it will also mean I have food and rent covered while I recover.
Reaching $2,000 in monthly commitments is a short-term goal that will allow me and our stakeholders to continue working towards the bigger goal of biannual publication. We shouldn't have to endlessly scapegoat each other or motivate out of half-true, fear based messaging: we all see the problems in our country with our eyes wide open. Because reality is brutal, because everyone who works in politics sees it firsthand, and because Christianity should be about restoration, I believe that work in politics should have dignity, and should serve humanity. We can do that through a biannual publication, and inspire it, as a contribution to make our country more just and free when we collaborate, build trust, and build endurance.
Thank you and how to sign up as a Liberatus Advocate
Thank you for your consideration, and your past donations! Take time to pray in nature about how you can contribute to making our country stronger. If you like what you see of Liberatus—or if you don't and you want to improve it, I'd welcome your participation. You are welcome to reach out to me using the form at the bottom of the page. You can sign up as a Liberatus Advocate here.
Build endurance,
Caleb
Weekly Action Point:
Take a look at the vision overview as we look to produce a biannual publication. Take time to pray in nature about your vocation or calling. Then, you can set up a monthly recurring donation as a Liberatus Advocate at the tab below. You can also write Volume Two with us by responding to a one-question interview. We will compile responses to the question about the future you imagine into a new vision asset to guide the stories that we tell, the research that we include, and the partner organizations that we fund.
Photo in Volume One pictured here taken by Anastasia Waltschew
Mission: Inspire American Unity
Create a culture of American unity for the next generation by producing content, experiences, and leaders that inspire it today.
Journal Entry #137
ISSUE 020: WHICH WAY FORWARD? — PART 4