To conclude this series exploring quotes that make up the foundational ethos of the mission, I want to highlight two, bringing the last two journal entries in this series into one.
Speaking of her time leading the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman said this:
“I never ran my train off the tracks and I never lost a passenger.”
What’s inspiring to me about this statement is that Harriet’s leadership included politics, civil rights, forward progress, the human experience as it should be, severe personal trauma, contemplative faith, leading teams—and physical endurance.
I started Liberatus in 2015 partly because it’s ambiguous what exactly we were fighting for in Congress. While we said we were fighting for freedom, in the words of former Congressman Raul Labrador, Capitol Hill “is a place that just sucks your soul.” But why?
“He’s a principled conservative.”
After working within the conservative movement, it’s not clear to me what this statement means.
But I think it means something like this: There’s a conservative view of things that is the truth, therefore, he stands on that truth no matter the costs, achieves top marks on legislative scorecards, and those who don’t hold to principles might be nice to people but they’ll never be champions.
Today, often the farthest we go with this advice is to say that we should “turn down the heat” when things get too ugly. But to govern the country well, we need constructive parameters for what it means to restrain partisanship, in the same way that Olympic athletes have constructive parameters for how to perform at their best, follow the rules of their sport, and uphold sportsmanship.
Too often, work in American politics lacks vision and doesn’t value the creativity it would take to achieve that vision. How do we fix it? We can learn from other creators in other fields. Today we interview Noah and Nicole Stratton at The Academy of Arts. Their work overlaps with our vision of healing: in the coming months, they will perform “Prince Caspian” live on stage—for the first time ever.
Today, we’re stepping into the wardrobe. We’re returning to Narnia, to the land fallen under the spell of the White Witch, to the forest frozen by a hundred years of winter.
Here’s hoping we have grown old enough to re-read The Chronicles of Narnia, to step back inside the fairy tales themselves and explore once again.
How does one pursue healing holistically in American politics? Today we’re outlining seven solutions for work in Congress and American politics Liberatus is offering our writers, subscribers and donors. But we need your help to continue publishing the weekly journal, to expand the writing team for 2017, and to continue building relationships with those working on the inside.
The Rio 2016 Paralympics begin today, and every American should know about one athlete in particular: Brad Snyder. As a Navy Explosive Ordinance Disposal Officer in Afghanistan, he lost his eyesight in an explosion. One year later, he won gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. What if in politics we were as fearless, as unconcerned with keeping up appearances, as willing to own our limitations?
When we say that Congress could be as inspiring as the Olympic Games, it’s not with the intent of overlooking imperfections in the International Olympic Committee, or the costs of hosting the games, or the human rights violations. But we can value both the inspiration of the games and the reforms to make them better. In politics, we can take responsibility for seemingly contradictory positions.
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown reveals a new story of freedom for American politics, if only we will choose to write it. Here’s to turning political communication, like Olympic rowing, into an art. Here’s to enduring the pain of speaking healing into political dysfunction.
At the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin—Hitler’s Olympics—Jesse Owens made history by winning four gold medals. In doing so, he provides a glimpse of what it looks like to overcome race, even though he faced racism at home and abroad. He shows us what a deeper knowledge of freedom can look like. He shows us how to overcome evil with good.
“The hardest part of winning gold was waking up the next morning and realizing you’re still the same person you were the day before.”
You may not know Herb Perez’s name, but to me, the 1992 Olympic gold medal Tae Kwon Do champion was a big deal. I admired him and other competitive martial artists you’ve never heard of because I competed, too.
Congress could be as inspiring as the Olympic Games. How do we approach our work in American politics the way an Olympic swimmer achieves excellence in the pool? Thankfully, we have insights from Bob Bowman, Team USA’s head swim coach and career-long coach to Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympian of all time. In The Golden Rules, Bob outlines what he calls the Method.
Last week, we looked at the theme of the London 2012 Olympic Games, “Inspire A Generation,” and tied to the theme for Rio: “Live Your Passion.” We continue the same topic this week, after concluding last week that living your passion requires you to come fully alive. A deeper look at what it means to live your passion would reshape work culture, communication, and personal well-being in politics.
The Olympics can give us a glimpse of what it means to be fully alive, especially if you see the athletes compete in person. The theme of London’s games was “inspire a generation,” and the theme of Rio 2016 is “live your passion.” I think the way to inspire a generation is to live your passion; this week and next, we’re taking a deeper look at both Olympic themes.
Starting a nonprofit with a vision of healing is in so many ways like training for a marathon. Training raises many questions about the process: you do have to think about hydration choices and energy gels and whether or not sweet potatoes are the best source of carbs. Similarly, on the nonprofit front, today I wanted to outline the next three steps for Liberatus.
You can’t control the great outdoors. They are wild, untamable. That’s how it should be. I needed that reminder desperately one beautiful and unusually mild fall day with my family hiking in the Midwest. And I need it today. Working on Capitol Hill only fed my desire—no, my need—to control. It becomes a bullet point on a resume.
An Interview with Devin Dotson, USBG Public Affairs and Exhibits Specialist
Flourish Inside and Out celebrates how seeing and interacting with nature and gardening is shown to provide health and emotional benefits. The interior portion of the exhibit presents examples of plants and plantings that you could follow to bring living plants indoors.
Bipartisanship and compromise, then, become not just an argument about whether or not you’re willing to give up what you believe is good for the country, but rather a conversation on how to find good for the country. We’re not actually fighting for freedom if we’re unwilling to debate the other side.
Travelling with fellow college students in China, we spent most of our time in Shaanxi province and during our final week there, visited a notable mountain—Hua Shan. Something remarkable happens when you reach a mountaintop: all the sweat and toil you spent to arrive pales before the sight of indestructible beauty. Dr. King is one who knew something about “the mountaintop.”
As I sit here writing, I’m at a loss for words that are descriptive enough, wanting to truly convey to you the wonder and beauty that is the Pacific Northwest. To those who have not yet experienced the remarkable upper left portion of our country, I am terribly sorry. But, I beg you not to let this journal be your only encounter with it.
How do we survive—especially considering it’s hard to campaign and work out on the beach at the same time? How do we survive in a culture that seems bent on destroying anyone who doesn’t get top marks on their scorecard? The trip to Treasure Island, Florida, left me with observations about life, and conclusions for work in politics.
When we say nature restores us, we actually mean it. To kickoff both the summer and our new series on The Great Outdoors, today we’re publishing photos from seven locations you can explore all summer long throughout the DC area. Here’s to having class outside. Here’s to the wide world in which we were created to live. And here’s to our Creator, and the undeniable goodness that surrounds us every day.
Not only did his war injuries keep him from returning to the Olympic Games, he also couldn’t escape or recover from the mental torture he had faced. I know from personal experience how difficult it can be to forgive: I’m struggling through that myself right now. I’m convicted by Louie’s ability to have the courage and humility to forgive his captors.
