Without Struggle There is No Progress

This weekend, I took a flying trapeze class on the banks of the Hudson River. As I climbed up the ladder and chalked my shaky hands to grip the swinging bar, I thought, "why am I so scared? There is a net there. This isn't very risky at all." People struggle through much scarier things everyday.

Earlier in the week we had read about the bravery of Frederick Douglass on July 5, 1852. Born into slavery, he was asked to deliver a speech at an event commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In Rochester's Corinthian Hall, this 35 year old man addressed a nearly all white crowd, "This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn." And he asked them, "Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day?"

You can read the full speech, by clicking here.

Now that takes courage! Douglass is known for another wonderful quote we should remember whether we are studying for school exams, slaving through a report or politics at work, flying from a trapeze, scrubbing floors to pay for our kids schooling, sacraficing certain liberties to build a political movement or hitting constant barriers when trying to change the world:
"Without struggle, there is no progress."