WONDROUS THING: Have a spine (particularly when you will get hammered for having one)

Russia’s lower house of Parliament – the Duma – is not famous for standing up to Vladimir Putin.  So it should be no surprise after Russia invaded and annexed the Crimea back in 2014 that the final vote approving the annexation was 445 to 1.

Yet, when the vote tally appeared on large screens in the chamber, a tumult arose.  Who dared to be the one dissenting vote?

It turned out to be Ilya Ponomarev, a two-term member of the Duma from Siberia.
 
Ponomarev was instantly condemned on social media in Russia as a “national traitor.” Some suggested that he be crucified. The Russian authorities didn’t do that, but they did – while he was visiting the US – freeze his bank accounts and announce that they would not allow him to return home. He now lives in exile in San Jose, California.  (To read his story in his own words, click here.) 

His story has me thinking about moral courage, about being a lone voice of conscience in a society where everyone thinks the opposite as you.

In any area of your life – personal, communal, or societal – would you be willing to be such a voice? Would you be willing to buck your family or community – and pay such a large price – to stand up for what you passionately believe in?  Would I?
   
Abraham Joshua Heschel once wrote: “To a person endowed with prophetic sight, everyone else appears blind; to a person whose ear perceives God’s voice, everyone else appears deaf. ”

Mighty words awaiting persons of mighty moral courage - with the right stuff - to live up to them.


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P.P.S.: If you're interested, there is a great video about Moral Courage featuring Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer from the Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. Click here to watch.