I step out onto my little back porch – the dusk settling over the trees, the hush before voices rise. On this threshold between inside and out, I’m drawn to a stirring in my spirit. I remember a 19th-century man from Concord, MA who dared to question law and power. He did this by refusing to pay unjust taxes. His name was Henry David Thoreau. Henry was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book Walden. It is a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings. He is also renowned for his essay “Civil Disobedience,” which argues in favor of citizen disobedience against an unjust state.
Thoreau believed that “that government is best which governs least.” He also thought that “that government which governs not at all” would eventually be true. He argued for the primacy of conscience over blind obedience. He saw that participating in injustice even by compliance has the ability to corrupt the soul. Thus, he refused to pay a poll tax that funded a government complicit in slavery and aggressive war.
Many will gather this year on October 18, 2025 for No Kings Day. This day is a modern echo of Thoreau’s conviction that true freedom requires accountability. The movement asserts that power does not belong to monarchs or unchecked rulers. Power belongs to the people who live by conscience and community.
On my porch, I sense the same quiet courage Thoreau once wrote about. It is the kind that begins not in crowds or slogans. It begins in silence. Resistance often starts with stillness. It is a whispered prayer. It is a question that refuses to be silenced. It is a heart that chooses what is right even when it is not easy.
✦ Then and Now, Side by Side
| Aspect | Thoreau’s Time | Our Time |
|---|---|---|
| Injustice | Slavery, unjust wars | Civil rights, truth, equality |
| Conscience | One man in jail for refusing injustice | Many voices rising for justice |
| Courage | Moral resistance | Peaceful action |
| Spiritual focus | Integrity and truth before God | Faith and justice intertwined |
- Sit quietly tonight. Let the air around you settle.
- Ask yourself: What authority shapes my choices? Where must I resist?
- Pray for courage — not anger, but steady conviction.
- Listen for the voice that calls you to act with peace, not pride.
- Choose one small act that reflects integrity: a letter, a donation, a conversation, a prayer.
🕊️ A Prayer for Courage and Conscience
O God of justice and mercy,
Let our voices, our breath, our small steps be part of Your work.
Grant us the courage to stand when power grows unjust. Help us to resist with love, not hatred. We will yield our conscience to You alone.
May we walk in freedom, grounded in truth and guided by peace.
Amen.
As we stand for justice and conscience, may we also stand for safety and peace. Civil disobedience, in its truest form, is never about destruction – it’s about devotion to what is right and human. When we act, may we do so with wisdom, empathy, and restraint. We should remember that the little eyes watching us learn from how we respond to the world.
Our children will one day inherit the society we shape today. Let them see that courage can be kind. Let them see that conviction can coexist with compassion.
Porch Question:
How can your quiet courage become the light your children see and remember?
The Prayer Porch 