Taking A Stand by John Hanley

At sea, to stand is to hold a course. Virtually all actions you make are so made to keep you on course. Faced with the unyielding drift of the ocean's tide, your survival depends upon your stand, your ability to stay on course within that drift.

In other life projects, the 'drift' represents the cultural climate in which we operate, the shared understandings and practices that form the background for our everyday lives. For each of us, the character of the drift may differ depending on religion, race, gender, age, etc. But the nature of the drift is the same for all human beings; it is uncompromising and inescapable.

Taking a stand in this context involves identifying and holding to a course or path within life's 'drift.' There is no inherent significance to any one stand over another, in theory. There is no objective scale by which to measure or substantiate the importance of a stand. Given all the possibilities for your participation in life, taking a stand involves stating what matters to you and then living by your word. In a practical sense, this includes reflecting on your concerns, articulating what it is that gives your life meaning, and then pursuing that commitment passionately. Virtually all of your actions are then taken to keep you on that path or are taken out of your commitment to being on that path.

What is the bad news about taking a stand in the drift of life? First, other people may suddenly seem slow, off purpose, and unproductive. Second, as you reevaluate your priorities and standards according to your stand, you find many conditions intolerable which previously were acceptable to you. Finally, taking a stand actually produces breakdowns. It is breakdown which tests the strength of our declared commitment.

Taking a stand fuses your commitments, words, and actions behind a single purpose. Your stand gives you an identity: a basis from which to make distinctions in your life. Your stand is a source of action and must live in action if it is to matter.