I spent four years in marching band (yes, I’m that kind of cool). In a small town, being in marching band means playing the National Anthem at every semi-notable school and community event. It was the first song we were expected to memorize upon joining, the first song we played to test for section leader or conducted to try out for drum major. I eventually held both roles, so I guess I mastered it.
Given that I played the melody as a clarinetist, I tended to sing along in my mind each time. “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave,” I’d warble to myself. And: done! Applause; instruments down; on with the event.
Maybe it’s from all those years of repetition (indoctrination), but those final words always stick with me. Land of the free and the home of the brave.
Did you know that Francis Scott Key ended all four verses of his poem with that line? You can see his manuscript and read the text courtesy of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Apparently those words meant a lot to Key as well.
Free and brave. To me, it’s a package deal. We are not just free; we are called to be brave.
Free and Brave
Bravery is what tempers the selfishness of freedom. It reminds us that we can be free to do, but at the same time, we desire to be free from threats and suffering.
I think of bravery as the wise mind that holds freedom in check, so that it benefits all of us.
And freedom, as we have known it in this country at least until this week, creates space for bravery to take a break. Enshrined freedoms are meant to create space for people to exercise their rights, without having to be brave and fight for those freedoms at every moment.
This week, freedom and bravery have taken a hit. It doesn’t surprise me that, in horror movie parlance, the phone call is coming from inside the house. Except the Supreme Court was always meant to be part of the checks and balances that preserved freedom and bravery in this land.
It’s hard for me to imagine what challenges may be facing our country and the world without devolving into catastrophic thinking. But I know that I feel called to be working for a better vision, a land in which freedom and bravery both check and inspire one another.
On this Fourth of July, let us remember what Francis Scott key knew, that we need a hefty dose of bravery to pair with our freedom. Let them be a two-part north star to guide us through the darkness to come.