A Woman of Courage

When one of our classmates posed her with a question about her past abuse and if it was her motivating factor, I didn't know what to think. I sympathized for her at that moment, because here was a woman who had come to our little community college all the way out in Bayside, probably having travelled in traffic through the LIE or Cross Island, and after having read to us from her excerpts and allowing us to ask questions, she was being asked to crumble her wall of self defense and let the entire auditorium into the darkness of her past. I wondered how I would have handled that moment, if I had to discuss being abused by my parents or siblings, whether sexually, physically or emotionally, to a room full of strangers, most who probably could give two shits. I probably would have made a joke to defuse the situation, or became extremely defensive and called the person out on being insensitive and rude. How Bar Nadav handled it though really garnered my respect and proved how courageous she is. When your a public figure such as she is, having penned several publications and literary works, you also place yourself in a somewhat vulnerable position. As much as some will love your work and support you, there will be those out there who will hate and enjoy tearing you down. Whether they are fueled by jealousy, hate, insecurities, it's irrelevant since their intentions don't lessen their blow of hate. She obviously has come to terms with this reality and conducted herself with great composure and professionalism, fielding that and all other questions Friday afternoon and provided us with answers which were greater than the words attached to them.

Her actions proved that not only can we become successful by following our dreams, but that the key attribute required to accomplish such a feat is the virtue of courage. That same courage that she displayed on Thursday, the same one which helped her cope with her problems and turn her pain into art for the entire world to share in. I left that auditorium with more than just an understanding for poems that made no sense just 2 hours earlier. I walked off campus that

afternoon having been reminded of a crucial life lesson.