Bryan Stevenson Gives Me Hope ... and Other Reasons to Believe Right Now....

(U)ltimately, our humanity depends on everyone's humanity. ... I've come to understand and to believe that each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done. I believe that for every person on the planet. ... And, because of that, there's this basic human dignity that must be respected by the law. I also believe that in many parts of this country, and certainly in many parts of this globe, that the opposite of poverty is not wealth. I don't believe that. I actually think, in too many places, the opposite of poverty is justice.

- Bryan Stevenson, TED Talk (2012) 

Bryan Stevenson gives me hope. Few things do at this confounding moment in our national history, but his profound and impactful example inspires in a way that I can’t fully explain … except to say that every time I ‘re-discover’ him, I’m healed, lifted, made hopeful and steeled to continue to fight for equality and justice in our country and our world.

And each time I encounter him again, I ask myself why I ever lose touch with him from time to time….

Have you seen his 2012 TED Talk? If not, you absolutely should. No, you absolutely must.

Have you seen his Super Soul Sunday interview with Oprah Winfrey? If not, you absolutely must.

Have you read his book Just Mercy? If not, you absolutely must.

Do you want to be more hopeful in life? Learn more about Bryan and his work at the Equal Justice Initiative.

Do you want to believe that we can be better (read = more equitable, just and inclusive) as a society than we are now? Learn more about Bryan and his work at the Equal Justice Initiative.

Do you want to do something meaningful to help us evolve into a better world? Support Bryan and his work at the Equal Justice Initiative (especially by donating/investing in it).

I was reminded of this reality and opportunity earlier today when, after reading the transcript of his Ted Talk (which I have viewed again last week), by chance, I saw his Super Soul session with Ms. Winfrey. I’ve now watched the latter twice and cried both times. It’s hard not to be struck, wounded and yet inspired by two juxtaposed realities: Mr. Stevenson works with some of the worst situations that humans ever experience and yet he’s emerged bigger and better for it. As Ms. Winfrey’s described him, a Super Soul, indeed….

He’s dealt with myriad demonstrations of man’s inhumanity and yet in response become more compassionate, more incisive and brimming with a hopefulness that can’t fail to inspire. He is, in a word, who we all hope to be on our best day.

When he speaks of the need for Mercy and Grace in our lives, I can’t help but contrast his constructive bent with the ugliness and evil so prevalent in our society (and not just that of those who commit crimes and deserve to be punished, but also, and perhaps especially, that of those whose presumed vengeance compounds rather than consoles). When he speaks of each of us being better than our worst mistake and therefore deserving of Dignity and Compassion, I can’t help but flash back to scenes of the abject hatred and inhumanity so broadly on display in recent months, much of it in opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement, as if any effort to recognize the humanity of any group of our fellow humans is a bad thing. And when he speaks of the Redemption possible on the other side of Forgiveness, I can’t help but think of how comfortable we’ve become judging each other across the divide while continually failing to recognize each other as brothers and sisters.

In other words, I can’t help but marvel at his ability to see and experience the very worst of us regularly and yet to have compassion for our – and his own – brokenness to such an extent that he veritably radiates Hope and Love. Again, he is who we hope to be on our very best days.…

And, I’ve come to believe, he’s also the model for our own redemption as a society/world. As is so painfully clear so consistently now, if we continue to make the choice to divide ourselves along fictitious, superficial lines, this’ll continue to accrue to our mutual detriment: really, does anyone of goodwill honestly believe that disunion due to Difference is a good strategy to achieve harmonious social relations? Does anyone among us who affirms the humanity of us all really think it’s a good idea to perpetuate and/or establish hierarchies within our shared humanity in order for us to share that humanity ever better?

Sadly, though the responses to the preceding questions may seem obvious on their face, the reality is that we answer in opposition with our behavior every day. That we continue to allow the social construct but biological fiction of race to divide us is proof of this. That we continue to value the lives of the already fortunate few over those of the deserving many is proof of this. That we can’t even engage in a civil and constructive discourse about these realities is further – and perhaps the most damning – proof of them.…

Which brings me back to Bryan Stevenson’s example: simply put, if we want ours to be a better world, we must emulate it … or we’ll continue to reap the bitter fruit of our choice not to.

And don’t get me wrong, I know that it’ll be supremely challenging and painful, wounding even … but what’s the alternative? Clearly, what we’re doing now isn’t working, and since it, too, is already supremely challenging and painful and wounding, why not take Mr. Stevenson’s contrasting approach?

No, I’m not naïve, and, in fact, am well-versed in our history of how we treat Apostles of Love and Light. But, maybe, just maybe, we’ve all heard and seen enough right now to be willing to face the pain of change to position ourselves to envision and then evolve into a better world. Especially since there’s virtually no defensible rationale for not doing so, either by maintaining this sub-optimal equilibrium or by engaging the fantasy of progress through regression into the past.…

In this spirit, then, I urge you to become a fellow disciple of Mr. Stevenson. No, he’s not God or a god, but a highly evolved fellow human whose example is most worthy of our emulation. And who among us doesn’t want to realize his – and our – vision of a more equitable, just and inclusive world?

Thanks to Bryan Stevenson, I can envision this, which is why he gives me hope.…

I believe that despite the fact that it is so dramatic and so beautiful and so inspiring and so stimulating, we will ultimately not be judged by our technology, we won't be judged by our design, we won't be judged by our intellect and reason. Ultimately, you judge the character of a society not by how they treat their rich and the powerful and the privileged, but by how they treat the poor, the condemned, the incarcerated. Because it's in that nexus that we actually begin to understand truly profound things about who we are.

- Bryan Stevenson, TED Talk (2012)