For those of you who were present in Dr. Barrett’s theology class, the nod to process theology here is probably fairly noticeable. This quote represents a theology of self-worth and ambition that lifts these attributes up as opportunities to inspire others. I have always had an emotional response to this quote, no matter how many times I’ve been exposed to it. Nelson Mandela has often received credit for this since he included it in a speech; it has since been properly attributed to Marianne Williamson. However, it isn’t hard to imagine the power of it when delivered by Nelson Mandela to the oppressed people he empowered. This quote empowers and uplifts.
Ideally, this theology is applied to leadership in a way that transcends the individual. The encouragement here is to let your light shine, and to do so brightly and boldly, and in doing so, to empower and lift up others. I truly believe that rejecting the notion of shrinking; standing your ground and speaking your truth has the ability to inspire similar behavior in others.
I’ve seen this quote edited and shortened in varying ways, one of them, simply uses the beginning and reads:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not be to be?”
This cuts off all of the communal themes. Even when reading it in its entirety, some people are able to simply walk away with nothing more than a sense of (now pardonable) selfish ambition. However, I find Williamson to be fairly clear on the subject. If you were to only follow your ambitions for selfish reasons, then the light wouldn’t shine nearly as brightly. Through celebrating the glory of God in others we are able to find it, experience it, and witness to it in our own lives.