What does it mean to be fierce? When you ask people, they often say that it means to be aggressive or destructive. A fierce warrior is one that dominates and wins. A fierce lion is one that kills and protects.
But I would argue that fierce does not need to be negative. Fierce is not a trait. It is a quality of a trait. Fierce is a word that denotes strength, perseverance, and determination. To be fierce means to have intensity in qualities/beliefs/actions. Fiercely loving. Fiercely loyal. Fiercely grateful. Fiercely truthful. And I am constantly inspired by the fierce women of this world.
There are fierce women who we owe a lot to for where we are TODAY.
- Rosa Parks – activist for civil rights
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg – activist against gender discrimination
Then there are the is these women that we will owe a lot to for our FUTURE.
- Greta Thunberg – activist for climate change
- Malala Yousafzai – activist for education for all women and girls
- Jazz Jennings – transgender role model and activist for the LGBTQ community
These women are all amazing and we are lucky to have them pushing for change.
But I think more important to be noted are the young women – our daughters, granddaughters and nieces – around us who are striving to make little changes every day. Their voices speak out with passion when they are struck with an injustice not just to them, but to others as well. Their energy is palpable.
They are the voice in our head, the angel on our shoulder, reminding us “But did you think about this?”. During this time of turmoil in the world I realize that while I find myself learned, logical and open minded, there are still things I don’t know or understand. Truths I haven’t explored. Hidden biases that I need to examine.
At first we may think them cute – so stuck in their world of ideals. But when you step back you wonder what is wrong with shooting for idealism? We didn’t reach the moon because we thought it would be interesting. We reached the moon because it was a first step in reaching for the stars! And with a ferver to understand the world that they will soon be controlling, they soak up information around them with an intensity that cannot be matched by the older generation. As they are now, we once were. Let’s not forget that passion, let’s enjoy watching them embrace it and benefit from it in the process.
While it is my responsibility to grow and learn, I feel blessed to have this fierceness around me. Challenging my thinking, my actions, my beliefs. Allowing me to challenge others thinking, actions and beliefs. It is this fierceness that will help us heal the world and move forward in a new and better way.
