• Home
  • About
    • Elizabeth: Personally
    • Education Certifications Affiliations
  • Coaching
    • Educational Coaching
    • Non-Profit Coaching
    • Executive Coaching
    • Leadership Coaching
    • Group/Team Coaching >
      • Sample Workshops
    • One-to-One Coaching
  • Testimonials
  • Media
  • Africa Project
  • Blog
Critchley Coaching
Contact Elizabeth
403.256.4164
​critche@telus.net

Too Good To Be True?

9/10/2016

2 Comments

 
Picture
 
Jim and I are on a driving trip and just before we left home I wrote my blog for this week.  However, as sometimes happens with me, two things have happened and so I’ve had some new thoughts that I’d rather share. 

The first was just a small article that I saw, and then shared, on Facebook.  It talked about the idea of being ‘good’.   This struck a chord with me since I was raised to be ‘good’.  In my family, we were taught to be rule followers.  We did not speak back to any adult – even when sometimes those adults were wrong.  There are certainly benefits to living this way, but it is dawning on me these days that there is a price to pay for it too.

The second thing that came to my attention was a news story that we listened to yesterday.  This story has been developing for a few weeks now.  There is an NFL Football player, Colin Kaepernick, who plays quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, who has made the choice to ‘take a knee’ rather than stand at attention during the playing of the American National Anthem.  The reason for him doing this was to bring attention to the Black Lives Matter campaign in the US.   His actions have caused a firestorm of debate.

When I first heard this, my initial reaction was that I did not like this at all.  I am a proud Canadian and I have great respect for our anthem and for many things Canadian.  I know that many of our neighbours to the south have an equally strong pride in the American anthem.  My feeling was that this player did have the right to express his opinion but I didn’t think his choice of how to do that was wise.  Certainly, a ‘good’ person would not do this; i.e.,  I would not have the courage to do this.

I have now had some time to think about this.  This young man, Colin Kaepernick, has a lot to lose.   He makes a lot of money.  He has worked hard to get to where he is professionally.  However, he understands that while the Black Lives Matter movement has been around for a while now, visible change has not been made.  His actions are forcing his countrymen to be uncomfortable with this.  It is only when we are made uncomfortable, that we grow.

I’ve been thinking back on other times in recent history when silence did not work to solve a problem.  Silence did not work to shed light on the hundreds of children being abused by people in positions of power (by coaches, priests etc).  Those of us who were being ‘good’ and following the rules, could not even fathom how we could possibly get involved.   Silence did not work in the years before Rosa Parks chose to take a seat at the front of the bus either.

Throughout history, we have been able to change our opinions and views because of brave people like Colin Kaepernick.  This man has hurt no one by his actions.  He may be ruffling feathers, but other than creating discomfort, he is doing no harm.  He has realized that the problem facing Americans is not going to be solved by silence, nor is it going to be solved by one more debate.  The very fact that his simple action is causing so much discomfort, means that this issue needs attention.

Pema Chodron, a modern-day, American, Buddist nun,  says that having a fixed mind is a limiting thing.  She teaches that we can identify when our mind is fixed by feeling our body’s reaction to an idea. When we set our jaw, or get a tense stomach, it often signals that we have our mind made up, and someone is messing with the good thoughts we have that we know are right. 

Coaching has taught me that there is always at least 2% truth in someone else’s opinion.  When I decided to apply that to the actions of Colin Kaepernick, I realized that there could be much more than 2% truth here.   This young man may be the Rosa Parks of our modern time, in the context of the Black Lives Matter movement.

So I have been left wondering to myself, ‘Have I been too good to be true?’ Too good to be true to my own values?  ‘Too good to be true’ to standing up to injustice even when it makes other powerful people uncomfortable?

I have some wrestling to do with this in the next weeks.  Tomorrow, it is rumoured that the entire Seattle Seahawks Football team will take a knee in support of Kaepernick.  I hope they are also taking it in support of Black Lives Matter.  
I still don’t know if Kaepernick’s actions are right. Truthfully, I don’t know very much about this young man.  I know that he is not being ‘good’.  But right this minute I wish I had half of his bravery.

Where in your life are you being ‘Too good to be true?’
 

2 Comments
Tim
9/12/2016 11:57:45 am

Nice read although the comparison to Rosa Parks is a little off. Rosa faced possible death for her actions in a time where physical consequences were unfortunately quite normal. Colin faces scrutiny, and possibly the loss of some money in wages and/or endorsements. Quite a sacrifice in today's business world but not "life threatening" (at least in comparative times) to the 50's and Rosa Parks. But I agree, it is tough for me to speak for him, I have never been pulled over for the colour of my skin, I have never had friends abused because of the colour of their skin, and I most definitely never grew up in a society where physical abuse happens on a daily basis in front of the whole country. (although Canada has it's fair share of racial injustice history) Everything is not cut and dried. I believe you should stand for the anthem, as I am only think of the Vets. But, if the country that the anthem stood for, had a personal history of oppression, then I can see why there could be a problem doing so.

Reply
Elizabeth Critchley link
9/12/2016 08:23:12 pm

Thanks for this Tim. I agree with your assessment of the Rosa Parks comparison. I think my line of thinking was about how many lives ARE in jeopardy and that his actions may save some. Hopefully at least conversations will be had. And I agree that this is not cut and dried. So hard to put myself in those shoes.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Sign up below to have my blog delivered to your inbox weekly.

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    RSS Feed

    Author

    Elizabeth Critchley (CPCC, ACC) is an accredited, certified, Professional Life Coach who excels at helping motivated clients clearly define and work toward their goals, dreams and purpose.  She believes it takes the same amount of energy to create a big dream as it does to create a little dream.  She encourages her clients to dare to dream big.

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015

    Categories

    All

©2018 Elizabeth Critchley