Never Give Up has a strong ring, it’s full of courage, determination, perseverance… Never Give Up need not be callous, hard-hearted, without compassion, rigid, or inflexible.  It gives us guidance on our journey; can offer advice when we’re flagging; help us remember the bigger picture; that we’re in this for the long haul; and most importantly perhaps, that we’re in this together, through thick and thin.

In the aftermath of the most recent school massacre in Parkland, Florida, I read about the dedicated activist for whom the school was named: Majority Stoneman Douglas.  I think you’ll enjoy this article on Douglas, in Portside: Material of Interest to People on the Left.  I became further inspired by the students from Parkland, now standing up, showing up, speaking out, loudly and clearly – who are now as I write this, in Tallahassee speaking to legislators about stopping gun violence – and about Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Here just two clips:

“Douglas, who challenged the political and business establishment of her day, would be proud of the students’ courageous efforts to galvanize a movement for gun control, which now includes a nationwide walkout by students and teachers scheduled for April 20.”

and

“Be a nuisance where it counts,” Douglas once said. “Do your part to inform and stimulate the public to join your action. Be depressed, discouraged, and disappointed at failure and the disheartening effects of ignorance, greed, corruption and bad politics—but never give up.”

I quote again another of my heros, Howard Zinn. Zinn’s final point in his essay On Getting Along is  “Don’t look for a moment of total triumph. See it as an ongoing struggle, with victories and defeats, but in the long run the consciousness of people growing. So you need patience, persistence, and need to understand that even when you don’t “win,” there is fun and fulfillment in the fact that you have been involved, with other good people, in something worthwhile.”  

Never Give Up, and enjoy the journey!

Jill Schroder is the author of BECOMING: Journeying Toward Authenticity.  BECOMING is an invitation for self-reflection, and to mine our memorable moments for insights, meaning, and growth.  Check the website for a sample chapter, or see the reviews to get a flavor for the volume.  Follow me on Twitter, let’s be friends on Facebook