A quote by Vaclav Havel, a poet, playwright, and former President of Czechoslovakia:
“I feel that the dormant goodwill in people needs to be stirred. People need to hear that it makes sense to behave decently or to help others, to place common interests above their own, to respect the elementary rules of human coexistence. They want to be told about this publicly. . . Goodwill longs to be recognized and cultivated. For it to develop and have an impact it must hear that the world does not ridicule it. . . I never try to give people practical advice about how to deal with the evil around them, nor could I even if I wanted to — and yet people want to hear that decency and courage make sense, that something must be risked in the struggle against dirty tricks. They want to know that they are not alone, forgotten, written off.”
—from the book, Summer Meditations
What beautiful and hopeful words these are! They are as true today as ever, aren’t they? They speak to the yearnings and aspirations of people everywhere—all over the world. Ponder for a moment, what they mean for us as writers:
“The dormant goodwill in people needs to be stirred”—and who better to ignite this goodwill than us, through the stories we tell?
“Goodwill longs to be recognized and cultivated”—and who better to nurture this feeling of human belonging and kindness than us, as writers, through the stories we tell?
“For [goodwill] to develop and have an impact it must hear that the world does not ridicule it…”—and who better to show that the world cherishes rather than ridicules this precious quality than writers?
…”people want to hear that decency and courage make sense…”—and who better to show them the deep, lasting truth of this than writers?
As I read Vaclav’s valiant words, uttered with belief in the face of so much doubt and confusion, I realized that they can be a touchstone for me—and perhaps for you.
“Goodwill”—it sounds like such an old-fashioned word, yet it carries a lot of heart on its slender shoulders. “Friendly or helpful feelings or attitude”—that’s how my Compact Oxford Dictionary defines the word.
If we can foster and hold up examples of this spirit of community in the world in creative, uplifting ways through our writing, surely it will be a better place for us all to live in. And why not! We have the power! Our pens are mighty! Our keys are quick! Write on!