And that's what art is, a form in which people can reflect on who we are as human beings and come to some understanding of this journey we are on.
Wendell PierceRead
My dad prepared me for the worst of times while also enabling me to succeed in the best. He taught me to confront the insidiousness of racism head on, no matter what the ramification, so it will not fester. Defeat it and get past it. That was The Talk. Nothing scared me after that.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of confronting racism directly and equipping oneself to face challenging times while striving for success.
Wendell Pierce reflects on the crucial conversations he had with his father, known as 'The Talk,' which prepared him to face the harsh realities of racism head-on. Through this preparation, he learned not only to tackle adversity but also to pursue excellence, instilling in him a sense of fearlessness against societal injustices.
In practice
This quote can be shared during discussions on parental guidance in the face of adversity.
And that's what art is, a form in which people can reflect on who we are as human beings and come to some understanding of this journey we are on.
The world, post-Katrina, was a hard time for my city. The hardest time. For people who didn't live through it, no words can fully express the pain, the rage, the grief, and the futility we New Orleanians felt. For the people who did, words seemed like a feeble protest against a relentless night without end.
What thoughts are to the individual, art is to the community as a whole. That's where you reflect on who you are, who you hope to be, what you've gone through, and where you hope to go.
Culture is the intersection of people and life itself. Its how we deal with life, love, death, birth, disappointment... all of that is expressed in culture.
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall with our English dead.
Vulnerability is not weakness, and the uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure we face every day are not optional. Our only choice is a question of engagement. Our willingness to own and engage with our vulnerability determines the depth of our courage and the clarity of our purpose; the level to which we protect ourselves from being vulnerable is a measure of our fear and disconnection.
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'
Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have.
I could not bear the deep freeze settling around my bones at the thought that yet another attempt to get out of my life alive would end in disappointment. Time became palpable and viscous. Every minute, every second, every nanosecond, wrapped around my spine so that my nerves tightened and ached. I faded into abstraction. A self-generated narcosis created a painful blank where my mind used to be.
Hitting bottom and hitting it hard was the worst thing that ever happened to me and the best thing that ever happened to me.
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