We were first introduced to the story of the Liberian civil war in our Leadership classes, and in the documentary “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” that narrated the brilliant and courageous journey of liberian women who banded together to end a bloody civil war in their country. Leymah Gbowee was monumental as an advocate and continues to be an important voice in activism. She is a Nobel Peace Laureate, but most importantly she is a successful woman who empowers and educates another generation of successful women leaders. Gbowee spoke mainly of the difficulties faced in their quest and opened up about her personal experience in the Q and A segment. For me the point that resonated the most in my mind was her mental strength.
This is a problem that is especially relevant to today.There is no escaping what feels like a dooming reality and paired with the pre-existing monotony of college life, sometimes you look up and wonder if there even is anyone looking out for you.
So, “How does one deal with fighting for your own existence everyday when it’s exhausting?” the question was posed. ‘What else is there?” Gbowee responded. What else is there? Ha!
Nothing she says, there is nothing else. If you don’t fight for yourself no one else will. This wasn’t exactly the answer I’m sure we were expecting but Gbowee is right, you can allow yourself time to repair and rest but you cannot ever stop fighting because the second you do you’re gone. I think that mental strength is one of not the most important characteristics of leadership and of life. Whatever the goal, being tired cannot be an excuse. It’s amazing sometimes how far you can make it with that mental strength. In the film it really struck me how these women who in many cases had been victims of unspeakable crimes continued to expose themselves to violence through their movement. How they stood hand in hand and forced their leaders to bend to their wills, they used the power they had as women and slowly gained the momentum necessary to overhaul their system.
