The courage to say "yes"

In yesterday's open thread at My Left Wing, I learned that May 30 was the anniversary of the date that Jeanne D'Arc (aka Joan of Arc) was martyred. That caught my attention primarily because Son in Ohio, in spite of being what I could describe optimistically as an agnostic, was fascinated with Joan of Arc for several years. And every now and then the interest is rekindled.


Incidentally, the painting seen above is by Leon Benouville. I never learned much French, but as near as I can gather, it depicts Jeanne listening to her "voices". I am not interested, at this moment, in speculating as to the origins of those voices--whether they be medical, psychiatric, or supernatural. At the moment, I am just intrigued by her certainty that she indeed heard them.

In the open thead I mentioned earlier, Mirrim posted these words from George Bernard Shaw's St. Joan:

"O God who madest this beautiful earth, when will it be ready to receive thy saints? How long, O Lord, how long?"

Shortly before reading those words I had read at Crooks and Liars about Ava Lowery, a 15 year old girl who has received death threats for making a haunting anti-war animation entitled "Peace Takes Courage". I don't know much about her--other than the fact that she is quite talented and courageous. I am struck by the fact that she and Jeanne D'Arc, living centuries apart, are "uppity young women" who feel compelled to step outside of their comfort zones to do something risky.

I think most of us here feel like this to some extent--although most of us have not experienced death threats because of our activism. But we certainly have other things we could be doing with our free time, except that we can't bring ourselves to turn away having seen what needs to be done. We feel compelled to press forward. "Called", even, but without the certainty that we have heard a voice giving us instructions.


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