“While fear may be contagious, courage is as well.”
Jack Smith
This phrase flit across my screen this morning. I love it! It came from Jack Smith’s opening statement before the U.S. Judiciary Committee on September 29, 2026.
He was there, under oath, to defend himself of the president’s accusation that that he had abused power when investigating Trump in 2020 for three infractions: election interference, the January 6th probe and moving classified documents to Mar-a-Lago.
Jack Smith defended his work and that of his staff with this opening statement.
That mirrors one theme from both the books I recently reviewed: “The Giver of Stars” by JoJo Moyes and “Address Unknown” by Katherine Kressmann Taylor.
I believe ‘enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm ‘. Can the same premise be made for fear and courage? If you embed yourself in a group spreading fear, does that make it easier for you to embrace? Is the same true for courage? Does it all come from within your soul or from pieces of your experiential background laced together? Is it focused reflection or passive listening?
I want to be courageous, really I do. But the ‘doom’ news grips me, the daily onslaught of worry. I wonder what good it will do to make accountability matter. Does being kind and respectful have any baring on others; modeling what it could mean to be kind.
Given the premise of the opening quote “While fear may be contagious, courage is as well.“, I believe it does matter. I can be make these qualities a part of my being. I can Save my angst and judgment of others and focus on myself.
In that respect I vow honesty to tell the truth and avoid deceiving others. I will be accountable, taking full responsibility for my mistakes. I will model respect, treating people fairly even when they are from different backgrounds. And lastly I will be responsible, keeping my promises.
Being a good human is not easy. What is perhaps easy, is making life about YOU. As you approach your day, your week, a problem, your family…aim for honesty, accountability, respect and responsibility. Make every effort to make it about humanity, not just you.
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