“It’s us,” Shannon said when I wondered aloud some twenty years ago about who would fight for what’s right. She’s been gone for over a year now, but I’ve returned to her moral clarity again and again as we navigate the overwhelming selfishness that has always been a core part of the American psyche, but in this faux gilded age of Trumpism, is a genuine crisis.
Back in April, Sophie Haigney wrote that the word “courage” has fallen out of fashion because it requires you to have some kind of moral-based conviction.
The valorization of ‘high agency’ is emblematic of a moment when risk-taking is overvalued. It’s an ethos for a gambler’s time, and we’re living in one. ‘Courage’ has a moral valence that agency doesn’t. Agency is about action, but it tells us nothing of direction.
Even using the royal “we” in our fractured society feels as quaint and outdated as courage apparently is. But that kind of overwhelming selfishness is not a winning posture if you value your soul. And, more importantly, if you value and respect those around you, near and far, you know that what we need more of is earnest courageousness in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
Even if we’ve fallen out of the habit of using the word, the folks who have been out in the streets doing the work to protect their neighbors against ICE over the last year have shown nothing but courage. For those of us who haven’t become stuck on the perch of skepticism and cynicism that so dominates our hyper-individualized media consumption, we can recognize those who stand up and do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. Sometimes they do so individually, but collective action seems most effective in this age of “high agency” individuals who seem to value only fealty to getting rich and getting over.
Maybe that’s why the 2026 New York Knickerbockers winning has been such a euphoria-inducing victory. Ever since their come-from-behind win in Game 5 of the NBA Finals—their first championship in 53 years—a meme has been circulating online. In it, the joke is that the Knicks defeated a stacked, favored San Antonio Spurs team with the “Power of Friendship.”
The image makes light of that collective power but, historically, movements built on courageous, unified, collective action filled with belief, determination, and an unwavering will to win, not just for self but even more so for each other, are celebrated as the greatest when they finally break through. Throughout their historic playoff run, Knicks players repeatedly talked about their effort being driven by a desire to see each other win and by their commitment to their fans and the city of New York. You would think that in a team sport, that kind of sentiment would be common, but given how high the monetary stakes are, that kind of selflessness is consistently usurped by showcasing what one can do individually.
I think we’re off individual profiles of courage, though. We’ve been starving for that “We Shall Overcome” energy. Individualized action, absent any grounding humanistic principles, is the claimed modus operandi of the power brokers in our society.
Rebecca Solnit has been arguing that “maybe the community is the next hero.” As the five boroughs come together to celebrate their conquering basketball team this week, I think she’s right. Because part of the “Impossible Joy” surrounding the way the Knicks won is that it’s validation of something community-centered folks want to believe. If that long-doubted team could do it, then we can, too. We, the people, can win together and do the hard things not merely because we can but because we must.
There’s no soul in doing only for self. The consequence of doing nothing is untenable.
I’d been searching for new language that effectively describes this idea of collective courage. Solidarity is where I keep ending up, but it doesn’t quite cut it.
Maybe I should stop looking. Shannon already provided the perfect terms.
Us.
It’s us.
The Power of Friendship wins again.
