Last night and this morning I was thinking about what I might, or should, say to the Monta Vista cross country and track & field teams about tragic current events including what happened to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, and the following protests. I often don’t feel like I have the authority or standing to share thoughts on subjects like these, I am only a high school coach; but I also feel like many of my athletes are my kids, and if we were together we would talk about these subjects.
This morning I received an email from Angela Duckworth, who is able to write more articulately than I ever could about these events and her thoughts, as well as adding some further possible reading and activities. Trying to put what Dr. Duckworth wrote in my own words would be a very poor substitute. So I’m going to share what Dr. Duckworth wrote with you in it’s entirety, including her references and call-outs.
Before I turn you over to Angela, I want to highlight one sentence of her letter: “Character is not only what you believe but what you do: action rooted in the values you hold most dear, for the good of others, not just yourself.” We talk about action over words frequently as a team. I’d like us all to remember that while what we think is important, what we say is important, what we DO is even more important. Every time you take action you are making an objective statement of what you believe in. Even little things matter. Continuing to run and train is an objective statement that you believe in a future when COVID-19 is being beaten and the team will be back together. Performing a small act of kindness for a teammate shows not only that you say you care about your friends and teammates, you are showing that you care. Washing the dishes after dinner without being asked shows your parents you appreciated what they did more than a simple thank you (not that there is anything wrong with saying thank you!).
I miss you.
And now, let me turn you over to Angela Duckworth:
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In the wake of the brutal killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, the very fabric of this country seems to be fraying—revealing rifts, injustice, and anger decades and centuries in the making.
In these darkest of times, I have found it helpful to reflect on my values, sitting down and writing about what I hold most important and why. Research shows that this simple activity has many benefits, including orienting our attention to the needs of people around us. The archive of “This I Believe,” essays read by their authors on National Public Radio since the 1950s, has inspiring examples.
Character is not only what you believe but what you do: action rooted in the values you hold most dear, for the good of others, not just yourself.
On Saturday, Harvard President Lawrence Bacow sent an email entitled “What I Believe” to all students and faculty. After affirming his belief in justice, the goodness of Americans, and respect for all people, Bacow suggested taking a “pause during these troubled times to ask what you believe.” And then: “Even more importantly, I hope you will find the strength and determination to act on your beliefs—to repair and perfect this imperfect world.”
Yesterday, Barack Obama posted a tweet that captures exactly how I feel right now: “I know the past few months have been hard and dispiriting. But watching the heightened activism of young people makes me hopeful. And if we can keep channeling our justifiable anger into peaceful, sustained, and effective action, this can be the moment when real change starts.”
And finally, though it has been more than a half century since Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of his core beliefs in the “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered to a peaceful crowd of over 250,000 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, it feels right to end with his words—for they remind us how far we must travel as a nation, and how much work each of us has to do, to achieve his vision: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
With grit and gratitude,
Angela