Courage is often associated with saying yes to intimidating or dangerous situations, when in reality, courage does not always involve confronting danger. It takes guts to walk away from what is not meant for you. It takes guts to stand alone, to slay the dragon and become the hero. Bravest is the one who turns their back on the dragon when everyone else is bending down. Individuals who make their own way are the embodiment of courage. This is because staying with the throng is an evolutionary behavior that provides protection in numbers. However, show me a lone spirit who has gone its own path, who is not frightened to be alone, and who will confront any inconveniences or threats that may arise—these are strong. They may be quiet and humble, but they have an internal moral compass pointing the way.
For them, submitting to a corrupt and unfair system is a fate worse than death. Their devotion is not to a country or an ideology, such as capitalism, but to right and wrong. For them, doing good is right, and showing no mercy is wrong. They refuse to compromise their values since it is the ultimate humanizing factor. Those who have lost their sense of justice have fallen into the hands of the worst sort of evil. But the bold have a clear moral compass that points the way. This is the yardstick that can be used to determine your level of courage: do you follow what is kind, or do you stand with the selfish?
Democracy was a popular notion in my lifetime. It functioned as the political standard by which nations were measured. However, my associates and I saw past democracy to a system that benefited society as a whole. Rather than championing everyone's rights as democracy did, Communism extolled socialistic notions of a government that supplied for all equally. It was a romanticized picture of a government that would equally divide the rewards. If you have struggled to make ends meet, you'll understand the sense of futility that comes when there is no money left after paying the bills.
At the time, Mexicans were hungry and living in primitive conditions, and this was never far from my thoughts. It saddened me to see my compatriots suffering and jobless while the Americans enjoyed such abundance. When I heard the concept of Communism, it sounded like the solution. But that fantasy evaporated when I discovered that all men are alike; there is no politician who would not steal from the public. And they despised and persecuted Communists because we posed a danger to their mainstream democracy. They could sell democracy to the public, this fairytale concept of the common guy amassing his own fortune, while Communism demanded that the government respond to the people, accountability they clearly did not want. So the capitalists referred to us as a threat to the government, when in reality we were only a threat to their dishonesty and greed. It is clear that capitalism, despite its lofty ideals, has not resulted in fairness for all. It has not brought widespread wealth. It has resulted in a severely stratified economic class structure of the affluent and the poor. But I say that the bravest souls, the intelligent people, do not subscribe to any particular system or ideology that trespasses the compass of their own heart. Right and wrong are the only elevated values that influence their actions and conduct.
In my day, I was hailed as courageous because I endured in the face of adversity when I came out in support of Communism. But politics was not what sparked my desire to be a hero. It was my readiness to be vulnerable. My paintings revealed my deepest problems and torments, which I bared to the world. This is another kind of courage: the ability to be transparent. Showing others your sensitive inner workings is the most terrifying type of courage, because what if they don't think my secrets are worth knowing? What if they make fun of my most intimate feelings? Some mocked my art, passing judgment.
But I was indifferent to them since they were critics who had never created anything as adventurous; therefore, they were hypocrites. No, it was the average person that I cared about and wished to reach. If the public had replied, "We cannot relate to this," I would have quit. But they stated the reverse. They replied, "I can relate to the pain I see here." Their affirmation was the finest honor. I was more interested in how I made the common person feel than in what the renowned contemporary artists had to say. I am now of the opinion that the greatest courage is to be vulnerable. And so, you must create something that reflects your inner landscape to such an extent that it reaches the hearts of every man.
We all have the same feelings: all of us sorrow and grieve, rejoice, and get confused, angry, anxious, depressed, and jealous. We are all afraid of death. We all apprehend life in the same ways. Psychologically we are built very much the same, but our stories are different. Telling your story from your unique perspective allows others to see life from a different angle, and this is important since understanding increases empathy. It takes courage to express yourself, for you risk criticism. But keep in mind that even if your audience has not been run over by a train or had their back broken, or miscarried, or been married and cheated on, or lived life confined to a wheelchair, they can relate to the pain of it because they have had their own trials and tribulations. Courageous feels deeply, while vulnerability expresses itself. Harness these two forces together, and you may call yourself an artist, a surrealist, a politician, a Communist, or simply, a Frida.
With love,
Frida Kahlo
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