Home of the Brave

Initially, a poem, Francis Scott Key's Star-Spangled Banner (originally named "The Defence of Fort M'Henry"), was put to music in 1814. It was not until 1931 when President Wilson declared the song to be a song to become the nation's national anthem at all official events.

Most of you know it but let's revisit the lyrics anyway:

1 O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,

Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,

O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

2 O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!

Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n rescued land

Praise the Pow'r that has made and preserved us a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto, "In God is our trust."

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

I can see how the words flowed through Mr. Keys as he watched the battle for the fort and the white house, the library of congress, and the capitol burn and be invaded by the British. I can only imagine how he felt while being held captive with his friend Dr. William Beanes during Dr. Beanes' release negotiations. The flag remained flying, and many lost their lives defending it. There's nothing to dispute the bravery so many displayed in defending the fort. It holds great significance.

The proverbial thorn in my side shows up when this song becomes a topic of discussion, particularly when it comes to bending the knee rather than standing up when sung. Hold though; we're not going there today. No, we're going to take a different route to what it means to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Ready? Let's go.

What does it mean to be brave? The Merriam-Webster definition says, "The meaning of BRAVE is having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty: having or showing courage." Simple enough, right? I believe most of us can agree with this definition.

Let's visit another definition given by Dictionary.com, including synonyms, for further understanding.

BRAVE, COURAGEOUS, VALIANT, FEARLESS, GALLANT refer to confident bearing in the face of difficulties or dangers. BRAVE is the most comprehensive: it is especially used of that confident fortitude or daring that actively faces and endures anything threatening. COURAGEOUS implies a higher or nobler kind of bravery, especially as resulting from an inborn quality of mind or spirit that faces or endures perils or difficulties without fear and even with enthusiasm. VALIANT implies a correspondence between inner courageousness and external deeds, particularly physical strength or endurance. FEARLESS implies unflinching spirit and coolness in the face of danger. GALLANT signifies a chivalrous, impetuous, or dashing bravery.

I recently took my daughter and her friends to their high school for a late and first time in its history, a state football championship celebration. The JROTC Air Force displayed perfection, wonderful accolades and declarations given, and pride expressing a beautiful angelic voice sung the national anthem. The weather was perfect, and all who attended bunched up on the bleachers to take a forever picture.

As the young angelic voice sang the last verse, the word Brave stayed with me, and it stayed with me until the next day. I began reflecting on my current circumstances and all that is going on in the world from the subdivision I live in and beyond. I looked on Instagram for pick-me-ups where I'm never disappointed. I came across one post discussing why relationships fail and how inner work must be done before venturing into another relationship (I wholeheartedly agree). I saw a Black father reciting to himself repeatedly how proud he was of himself. I saw another post of a stranger being helped by another. During the viewing of these posts, it dawned on me why the word Brave continued to plague my mind.

Bravery is also a reflection. How many of us can stand in front of a mirror and really see ourselves? How many of us can question our behavior, thoughts, and beliefs AND see if they line up with loving and respecting first ourselves and then others? How many of us can question our upbringing to see if it lines up with truth or what society wants us to believe? Many of us call ourselves followers of our higher being (mine being Jesus Christ) and say our thoughts, actions, and beliefs align with our higher being, but do we display this behavior? At the foundation of all religions is love. Even if you're an atheist, love is still a foundational brick in how we are to treat one another.

Loving ourselves means being brave enough to have the hard inner conversations, do the inner work to correct those things that don't align with love, and demonstrate that behavior intentionally and daily. Bravery means intentionally waking up each day reminding ourselves of that fact. Bravery means fighting against what society says, thereby deprogramming your brain to treat people how you truly want to be treated. I venture to say we all want acceptance, support, and love. When was the last time you noticed something different in someone in your neighborhood and reached out to help? What does that look like? It could look like you are knocking on the door to say hi or introduce yourself. It could look like you are offering a garden tool or two to help with gardening issues. It could look like you are helping to shovel snow. It could look like you saying, “hi.” It could even look like you are helping with young children or picking up a piece of trash. Bravery can look like going up to a co-worker, colleague, classmate, neighbor and humbly saying, "Hey, I don't know much about your culture, but I want to learn. Can we talk sometimes". Bravery is not spewing out stupid emotional and often time inaccurate remarks because it's obvious you have not checked your intellectual, spiritual, or emotional maturity. The saying, "cooler heads prevail," does work. There are many ways you could show love and kindness.

As humans, we are selfish. There are always exceptions to that rule, but overall, we are. We must show our bravery in other ways that promote healing, love, compassion, kindness, good health (mentally, spiritually, and emotionally), innocent laughter, a celebration of others, integrity, and authenticity.

In conclusion, I ask this question; how brave and free are we really? Are you?