Barack Obama, in a speech accepting the 2017 Centennial John F. Kennedy “Profiles in Courage” award on May 7th Sunday, reflected on the meaning of courage and how it has been embodied not only by John F. Kennedy in his time, but also by former members of Congress who had helped him pass the Affordable Care Act.
Broadcasted over live video, the former U.S. President expressed his deep conviction for courage in times of despair, and hope in times of cynicism.
Key quote – “Any fool can be fearless. Courage, true courage, derives from that sense of who we are.”
Mr. Obama urged courage to champion the weak, the ill and the disadvantaged. While he did not explicitly name any officials in the current U.S. administration and Congress, he urged lawmakers to consider the impact of their actions in repealing parts of his legacy, including his signature Obamacare.
“I hope they understand that courage means not simply doing what is simply politically expedient, but doing what [people] believe in their hearts is right,” Obama said.
Fighting the “Good Fight”
“We need courage to believe that together we can tackle big challenges like inequality and climate change. At such moments, it’s necessary for us to show courage in challenging the status quo and in fighting the good fight but also show the courage to listen to one another and seek common ground and embrace principled compromise,” Obama urged.
The Award’s Lantern Meaning
The award’s lantern, modeled authentically after ship’s lanterns in the 19th century, is in keeping with John F. Kennedy’s love of sailing and his career in the U.S. Navy.
The lantern is a nautical metaphor for “the search for an honest and courageous” person as he or she seeks to find his or her own path often in the “darkness of outside pressures.”
Obama is the third president to receive the Profile in Courage Award. Gerald Ford received his in 2001 for pardoning former President Richard M. Nixon.” George H.W. Bush received his in 2014 for his controversial 1990 decision to raise taxes, despite saying “no new taxes” in his 1988 campaign.
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Partial Transcript of former U.S. President’s acceptance speech
“It’s worth remembering this, the times in which President Kennedy led us, because for many Americans I know that this feels like an uncertain and even perilous time. The forces of globalization and technology have upended many of our established assumptions about the economy. It provided a great opportunity and also a great inequality and uncertainty for far too many. Our politics remains filled with division and discord, and everywhere we see the risk of falling into the refuge of tribe and clan and anger at those who don’t look like us or have the same surnames or pray the way we do.
And at such moments, courage is necessary. At such moments, we need courage to stand up to hate not just in others but in ourselves. At such moments, we need the courage to stand up to dogma not just in others but in ourselves. At such moments, we need courage to believe that together we can tackle big challenges like inequality and climate change. At such moments, it’s necessary for us to show courage in challenging the status quo and in fighting the good fight but also show the courage to listen to one another and seek common ground and embrace principled compromise.
Courage, President Kennedy knew, requires something more than just the absence of fear. Any fool can be fearless. Courage, true courage, derives from that sense of who we are, what are our best selves, what are our most important commitments, and the belief that we can dig deep and do hard things for the enduring benefit of others.”
Be Inspired Some More -> JFK Library, NPR, JFK Centennial
