Monday, June 14, 2021

Courage, but Grace, Too

The pandemic has shown us how humans are capable of great courage—but we should all have a little grace, too

By Izzy Huygen, Representative

Gord Downie is my favourite . . . a lot of things.

Singer. Songwriter. Leader of my favourite band. Hockey fan. Canadian legend. Icon.

When I was in university in Iowa, I played in a cover band called No Soup for You. We covered a lot of songs by the Tragically Hip. The Hip weren’t very well known in the States, but my bandmates and I were all from Canada, so we brought the Hip with us.

I have a lot of favourite songs by them, and it’s constantly changing. At hockey time, it’s “Fireworks” or “Fifty-Mission Cap,” or maybe “The Lonely End of the Rink” (Gord was a goalie). Around the campfire, I love listening to “Wheat Kings,” “Boots or Hearts,” “Fiddler’s Green,” and “Ahead By a Century.” At church it’s “Scared.”

And at times of crisis and anxiety, I always listen to “Courage” and “Grace, Too.”

Over the course of the last 14 months since the start of the pandemic, “Courage” is an easy song to draw to. In March 2020, Hip guitarist Paul Langlois eloquently and passionately brought Canadians onto our porches to sing along with him and his family as a tribute to front-line workers. This new tradition continued with other Hip songs; of note, “Bobcaygeon” was performed for the residents of that town hit hard by Covid-19.

“Grace, Too” is a lesser known song than “Courage.” Similarly, the qualities of grace are often less celebrated and less noted—probably because grace isn’t quite as sexy or gallant as courage. But I think it’s just as important, if not even more important.

It’s easy to recognize and laud the courage of the valiant knight who slayed the dragons, as well as the real-life gallantry of the front-line CLAC members and other medical staff who have been right in the face of COVID in their daily work and deserve all the praise we can give them.

But what about the humility, forgiveness, and understanding for those who have messed up, or made bad decisions . . . or in the face of nothing but bad options, had to choose one as the path forward?

We have seen these situations numerous times during the pandemic. Immediate decisions required; polarizing results guaranteed. We all need grace at this time, too—grace for others, and grace from others. It’s a difficult time to be a leader when your decision will undoubtedly be wrong for those affected. And relying on that ever reliable 20-20 hindsight is of no comfort at the front end of that decision.

Leaders at the office, at the construction site, in the hospital, at school, and at every level of government have faced difficult decisions—and never before have those decisions been so available for ridicule and rejection, thanks to social media. I am certainly not innocent of being a critic of certain decisions, and sometimes that is warranted.

As we emerge exhausted and burnt out from a global pandemic and look to put the pieces of our society back in motion, I would encourage others to be thankful and recognize what it is like to lead at this time in history.

And to have courage and show grace, too.

Thanks, Gordie (February 6, 1964 – October 17, 2017)

Courage, but Grace, Too

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