October Thoughts and Themes

Virtue of the Month: Loyalty
Source: Virtues Matter

Loyalty is unwavering commitment to the people and ideals we care about. We are steadfast through good times and bad. Even when others disappoint us, we are resilient and forgiving. We invest in our relationships and do what it takes to keep them whole and strong. We stand by our true friends whatever the cost. We don’t allow blind loyalty to lead us into trouble. Above all, we must be true to ourselves and loyal to what we know is right.

The Practice of Discernment

I trust my inner vision.

I seek full information.

I release the pressure to decide by determination alone.

I take time for reflection and prayer.

I hone my intuition.

I am alert to the signs placed in my path.

I am open to revelation.

Affirmation

I am thankful for the gift of Loyalty. It nurtures my commitments.

Personal Reflection: David O. Fakunle II, Ph.D.

“What truths about this experience should be self-evident, or obvious, to someone who may never have the opportunity to be here?” That is the fundamental question I have been asking for much of this year, including October, as part of the We Hold These Truths project I co-created with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. In commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this mobile storytelling activation has visited dozens of festivals and gatherings across the United States and its territories, offering the people a space to share why they attend, participate, organize, support or even create those events. 

I have traveled to locations very familiar to me with this project, like Philadelphia, Detroit, D.C. and of course, Baltimore, including for Homecoming at Morgan State University. Additionally, I have visited places for the very first time, such as Honolulu, Hawai’i, Montclair, New Jersey and Blackfoot, Idaho. Regardless of whether the events were big or small, young or old, based on cultural identity, creative expression or historic preservation, or were acts celebration or defiance, the stories I have been honored to gather reflect a common loyalty. That loyalty has been to the ideals of joy, connectedness, individual and collective worth, and remembrance of the journeys that contributed to the current moment being a reality. Am I surprised about those revelations? Not at all, they were what I anticipated receiving, albeit through a diversity of contexts. Am I grateful for the opportunity to center the living experiences of the people, especially at a time like this? Absolutely, and that is ultimately the point of this project: to acknowledge, appreciate, respect, understand, and even love the stories that make up the tapestry of this country. They are our truths and we can hold them, because we are strong enough.