I love the outdoors, particularly wilderness. Braving the Wilderness is an inspirational book about finding our way from that place to which we often retreat, back to courage and connection. It’s about learning to be with people without sacrificing our own values. It’s about the wilderness within ourselves.
Author and social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW sees a serious disconnection in today’s society. But much of the disconnection is within ourselves. It takes bravery to believe in and belong to ourselves, to resist fitting in because it’s the popular thing to do. To be willing to stand alone is a wilderness.
Our world is in crisis with gaping differences in politics and ideology. We need to find ways to connect, to share power among people, not over people. In order to effectively do this, we must learn how to be with people without letting go of who we are.
Brown lists four practices that challenge how we think about ourselves and how we can connect with others:
– People are hard to hate close up: Move in.
– Speak truth to bullshit. Be civil.
– Hold hands. With strangers.
– Strong back. Soft Front. Wild Heart.
As Brown elaborates on these four principles, it becomes clear that it is possible to stand alone and be who we are, yet celebrate being a part of the whole, of making a valuable contribution, of belonging.
Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone is a serious book, yet still an enjoyable read. Brené Brown draws on personal experiences, even painful ones, to demonstrate her beliefs, and she draws on her expertise as a research professor at the University of Houston studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. I highly recommend this book for yourself, or for someone you love.
