You’re being downvoted because people people think you’re being obtuse, but, as a person that overuses logical thinking to a diagnosable degree, my suspicion is that you’re doing that. Also because your tone is kind of…not good.
The whole point of the Serenity Prayer (“accept the things I cannot change”) is that it includes “change the things I can” – so the things Davis is changing are things she CAN change, by definition.
But her point is that she is reframing what she believes she can and cannot change. Recategorizing, if you will.
She’s invoking the third part of the Serenity Prayer: the wisdom to know the difference. As we grow and learn, our wisdom increases, so the things that belong in the first two categories will shift.
Things that used to be things that can’t be changed are becoming things that she can.
To understand the quote, you just have to give it some space to breathe, and not be so logical about it.
There is a common prayer called the serenity prayer that includes a line about accepting the things you cannot change. The idea being it’s not worth stressing out over aspects of your life that you have no control over and to instead focus on what you can do something about.
She is playing off that by saying she’s no longer going to accept those things and is now going to fight to change them. I’m not familiar with her but presumably this would be regarding fighting injustices in the world.
Here is the full prayer (or at least the version I’m most familiar with):
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and Wisdom to know the difference.
So what is that supposed to mean?
Changing everything you can’t change?
What does “not accepting those things you cannot change”, means? It feels somehow like very self centered gibberish.
Please enlighten me.
You’re being downvoted because people people think you’re being obtuse, but, as a person that overuses logical thinking to a diagnosable degree, my suspicion is that you’re doing that. Also because your tone is kind of…not good.
The whole point of the Serenity Prayer (“accept the things I cannot change”) is that it includes “change the things I can” – so the things Davis is changing are things she CAN change, by definition.
But her point is that she is reframing what she believes she can and cannot change. Recategorizing, if you will.
She’s invoking the third part of the Serenity Prayer: the wisdom to know the difference. As we grow and learn, our wisdom increases, so the things that belong in the first two categories will shift.
Things that used to be things that can’t be changed are becoming things that she can.
To understand the quote, you just have to give it some space to breathe, and not be so logical about it.
Correct analysis 😁 too much logic made it non understandable (I’m not familiar with the prayer so that didn’t help either).
Thanks for the rundown!
Yeah, the Serenity Prayer context might help.
There is a common prayer called the serenity prayer that includes a line about accepting the things you cannot change. The idea being it’s not worth stressing out over aspects of your life that you have no control over and to instead focus on what you can do something about.
She is playing off that by saying she’s no longer going to accept those things and is now going to fight to change them. I’m not familiar with her but presumably this would be regarding fighting injustices in the world.
Here is the full prayer (or at least the version I’m most familiar with):
https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=Angela+Davis+I+am+no+longer+accepting+the+things+I+cannot+change+
Oh please. This was witty for about 10 seconds 10 years ago.
It’s about as clever as answering every comment with “you could find the answer for this on Google”.
Make better decisions.