Courage - Calm - Resilience -Strength of Character
This week as my holidays continued and one old year folded over into another, I read “truth be told: The Story of My Life and My Fight for Equality”. Written by Beverley McLachlin, who served as the 17th Chief Justice of Canada, the first woman to hold that position, and the longest-serving Chief Justice in Canadian history, her memoir is nothing short of exceptional and has proved to be a great read in setting up goals and attitudes for the year ahead.
In her book, McLachlin pens the story of her life, starting with her childhood in Pincher Creek, Alberta, and a teacher who told her she had no aptitude for anything useful as a woman. Against all odds, she made her way to the University of Alberta and upon the completion of a degree in Philosophy, after soft suggestions from the man who would become her husband, she applied and was accepted into law school. The following decades of her life, as she leads us through the major and minor events that make up one’s identity, are nothing short of exceptional. She discusses the places her career took her, the people she met, the different promotions and appointments she accepted, the struggles she faced as a woman practicing law in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and beyond, and the guilt she endured as a mother preoccupied with the duties of being a lawyer, then judge in many forms, then Chief Justice of Canada. She also outlines some of the profound cases that would go on to change Canada and its people forever, some of which included, but are not limited to, the rights of women, LGBTQ rights, Indigenous people’s rights, Reconciliation, same-sex marriage, and abortion.
Throughout her tale, McLachlin leads readers along with the wisdom of how the world works, how to manage difficulty and strife, the qualities an individual must cultivate, and above all the power that the Canadian Law has in striving to ensure every Canadian has the support and power they need to develop a proud and successful life.
As I read phrases like, “Accept imperfection. Embrace risk. Have the courage to fail and the strength to pick yourself up and start over. Do your best and move on”, and “The first lesson in judging: listen. If you think you know the answer, you probably don’t. If you think you are the smartest person in the room, you’re probably in the wrong room. Listening will help you get the right answer”, and “Ideas must alter; cultures must shift. It takes time. Occasionally, however, we witness[…] a tangible result”, I started to wonder what else helps people to not only get through this life but thrive in it and encourage growth and development in all the best ways. People like Beverley McLachlin, and so many others like her, started nowhere. Along the route of her journey, McLachlin took a few chances, listened to decent advice, tried new avenues, and generally went where life decided to take her, and a successful life that helped to create positive change was the result
It’s true, in spite of success stories like Beverly Mclachlin’s, that not everyone gets to where they want to go. Injustices still occur and roadblocks pop up at inauspicious times. Perhaps, though, by honing a few very specific qualities in ourselves, we may have a better chance at the life we want. In reading “truth be told”, I conclude that the key qualities adept at aiding us this year and in the coming years could be: Courage — Calm — Resilience — Strength of Character.
With courage, we may learn to step into the unknown, take a few chances, see where the road takes us, and not to fear failure but rather to embrace the challenge.
With calm, we may act with poise. We may remember to stop and think, do our research, weigh the options, consult experts, and avoid overly emotional decision making that so often gets us into trouble and can desperately hurt those around us.
With resilience, we may face the struggles and pains of inevitable in life with respect for the lessons they teach us. We may discover what can be done to ease suffering in others, and to build strength in our minds and our hearts, as the world turns and changes and shocks and causes great suffering.
Through the cultivation of these qualities, we may start to develop a Strength of Character within ourselves that embodies these and so much more. We may go about our day with greater wisdom in our minds and compassion in our hearts, knowing that with every action we do, every word we say, every person we encounter, we are continuously building our character, and it is up to us what we will become.