Setsuko Thurlow - A Steward in the Silence

Setsuko Thurlow (1932–2024), a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bombing and a lifelong advocate for nuclear disarmament, embodied stewardship in its most courageous form. She did not see herself as a victim to be pitied, nor as a figure seeking prestige, but as a caretaker of memory and a voice for those who could no longer speak.

Image coutesy of @wangari_maathai instagram

We Start With a Post

We start with a post that caught my attention – a story that made me think about what it takes for someone to act first, even when the crowd stays silent.

John Ambrose shared a fabulous account of a bus strike in Japan – but not the kind we’re used to.

The drivers did not walk out. They did not abandon their routes.
Instead, they kept driving.

Every stop. Every timetable. Every passenger accounted for.
They helped people on and off the buses, answered questions, guided confused travellers – all while refusing to collect fares.

The public still got where they needed to go.
The company felt the pressure of lost revenue.
And the workers maintained their dignity – quiet, coordinated, principled.

A protest through presence.
Disruption through service.
Not rebellion, not chaos, but integrity in motion.

Passengers murmured, some grateful, some puzzled, some trying to hand over coins anyway. The drivers, calm and unwavering, refused. Their act was not loud, not confrontational. It was disciplined. Moral clarity in motion, visible in every small choice they made that day.

That post made me pause. It made me think: What conditions make that possible? And that was my reply.

Three Cultural Keys That Make Stewardship Possible

Reflecting on the bus story, I see three lynch pins – conditions that allow stewards to act. These are not just rules for protest; they are the foundations for leadership through service and integrity:

• Culture – From Confrontation to Stewardship
  Courage doesn’t have to be combative. Clarity can be power without volume. Honour dignity over fury.

• Worker & Public Alignment – From Inconvenience to Invitation
  When protest serves rather than disrupts, it invites people in – to understand, to align, to witness.

• System Design – From Rigidity to Reinvention
  Too often, organisations punish integrity and reward compliance. Systems must make space for dissent that is generous, values-led, and clear.

The Lone Dancer

At the end of my reply to John, I wrote:

“It might just take a lone dancer.”
Not the loudest voice, not the highest rank – just the first to move.

Someone with clarity to act before the crowd.
Conviction to act even if no one follows.
Faith in the rightness of action, not the applause.

John followed up with a question:

“I wonder what it would have to change to create the safety for that lone dancer to try?”

And that is where the bus story ends – and where Setsuko Thurlow’s quiet courage begins.

Setsuko Thurlow – Action in Alignment

Picture her at thirteen: emerging from the rubble of Hiroshima, counting the missing faces of classmates, and feeling the weight of a silence that demanded to be heard. What could a single girl do in the shadow of such devastation?

She chose to speak. Not loudly, not in rage, but with steadfast integrity. She carried her truth into schoolrooms, conference halls, and the chambers of the United Nations. Each speech, each meeting with diplomats, each campaign with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), was a seed of change – small acts of courage that grew into global awareness and policy shifts.

By the time of her later years, her quiet stewardship had helped shape international norms: she advised world leaders, mentored younger activists, and contributed to ICAN’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning work. Every action was deliberate, measured, and rooted in care – for survivors, for humanity, and for the future.

Yet Setsuko was clear: her work was never solitary. It was stewardship – a continuum of memory, courage, and collective responsibility.

The 10 Facets of a Steward

Through Setsuko, we see the traits of every lone dancer:

• Purpose – to honour those who can no longer speak, in every speech and campaign

• Self-trust – conviction born from lived truth, not ego, even when ignored or opposed

• Faith – belief in the action, not in recognition or success

• Readiness for consequence – reliving Hiroshima with every public address, yet persisting

• Compassion – for survivors, the unwilling, and the world at large

• Chosen defiance – speaking truth to power at international halls of influence

• Hope – a decision to keep going, even after dismissal or silence

• Belief – that someone would hear and act

• Memory of home – carrying Hiroshima not as trauma alone, but as a vision of a world that could be better

• Selflessness – acting not for recognition or reward, but for the welfare of others, placing the needs of survivors, future generations, and humanity above personal comfort or acclaim

Each facet is a tangible act, rooted in reflection and integrity – a living blueprint of stewardship in action.

🌊 A Personal Note

I’ve coached leaders standing at this very threshold.
Not always ready.
Rarely fully supported.
But already in motion.

Sometimes stewardship is gentle defiance in the face of a boss or system that won’t budge.
It’s never anarchy. It’s compassion – for the people, the organisation, and the system.

It’s the act of honouring all.
Even if the dance begins in silence.

Are you ready to be the next lone dancer?

Over to You…

Over the coming weeks, we’ll feature everyday stewards – people quietly tending, enabling, and regenerating across sectors.

👉 Who do you see stewarding in your organisation, community, or sector?
👉 Who should we interview and highlight as a steward?

Together we can surface examples of stewardship already shaping a better future.

Stefan
CEO, Be The Waves | Executive Coach | Father | Citizen

Don’t just lead. Steward. Create stewardship wherever you go. Be the Waves.