Have courage (be brave and set yourself free)
Being ‘brave’ is not about fighting off people with guns and swords (although that is of course brave too). But mental courage is something we all need to cultivate.
We are living in quite a bullying world at present, where we are being encouraged to keep the status quo. To change things (to heal our planet, bring world peace, help animals and foster clean honest politics) requires a colossal effort on all of us.
And that means standing up to ‘big power’ who seems to think it has a God-given right to rule over us, even if it is for their (and not our) good.
Courage can be a quiet conviction
Real courage is not about shouting out your beliefs at others. It’s about quietly sticking to your values. Quakers back in the day suffered terribly, but never wavered from their beliefs for peace.
Being brave means standing up for your beliefs, even if that means not having an audience, any applause or public recognition. And still maintaining them, when society tells you to do otherwise.
When you know your values, it becomes easy to make quality decisions, and not change them due to the changing tide of public opinion.
Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying ‘I will try again tomorrow’. Mary Anne Radmacher
Don’t let your life be bullied by others. You are the author of your own story. And every day is a blank page, waiting for your choices. Not theirs.
