Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Bravery

Is not defined in singular terms.  There is no one definition of courage that applies to the whole of
(wo)mankind.  If I am not afraid to die, if I actively and aggressively want to die then picking up my weapon and heading into the battle is less an act of courage than the exercise of  the means to the desired end.

Courage does not operate on predetermined degrees.  There are those among us for whom the tiniest step outside their comfort zone e.g. leaving the house and going to the grocery store,  requires levels of courage that some soldiers will never experience in their lifetime.

But the choice to exercise our own version of courage, the act of taking that tiniest step is the very first stone put in place that eventually leads over the rest of a lifetime to the kingdom of Rome.

10 comments:

  1. For me, the most courageous things I have done is dared to be me -to speak my truth even when it was unpopular. I am a people pleaser and finding my own voice has been a big struggle.

    BTW, I'm still blogging but my blog url/look has changed. I'm here now:

    www.delicateawakening.com

    I hope you experienced some peace and joy over the holidays!

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  2. Hi Michelle - precisely what I'm talking about. It is hard to truly be ourselves isn't it? Everything around us screams out for us to fit it or be what others want or need us to be. I have found that it takes an enormous amount of wearying energy to be something other than what I am. And yet the struggle is continual to recognize those places in which I am not being authentic. It is a lifetime of work unraveling what I became to find what I really am.

    Your truthfulness is refreshing, I do hope you continue and I will check out your new blog.

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  3. By the way, in the interests of being myself and not hiding behind a nom de plume my name is Eleanor. Nice to meet you Michelle.

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  4. I'm trying to find your blog with the address you provided above and it isn't coming up. Are you sure you spelled it correctly?

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  5. Hi Eleanor! (Lovely to know your real name now!) So sorry, I made a mistake about the url. It's supposed to be delicateawakening.blogspot.com. Oops!

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  6. That url works better. Thanks. I can relate to your latest post. I too have run to a point where I seem to need less of actual asking, or perhaps it is just more of an acceptance of what is. I'll never be able to figure it all out, seems I cannot really come to any definitive answers at all anymore. But maybe that's the way it's supposed to be who knows. Maybe too many definitive answers would make life boring. I think it's probably more fun to stick a toe in the water not having any idea what the outcome might be eh?

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  7. You have put your thoughts so beautifully and so succinctly.
    I'm going to print out what you have written if that's ok with you?
    Happy New Year ~JSS...
    Praying it's a good one.

    x

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  8. Hi Ws -
    By all means. I'm thrilled that it means that much to you. Truth is you were one of those that I had in mind when I wrote it. I have been stealthily following your blog and I see you continue to pursue the path that leads to health and I can see the struggle that plays out within you to do so. For some eating a cookie requires not even a second thought, for others it takes all the courage in the world. I applaud and admire your desire to fight through your fear as you choose health.

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  9. Very nice! Someone recently called me courageous for continuing to soldier on in the face of many difficulties. I wrote back that there is a thin line between the courageous warrior and the careless fool. This is true, I believe, and both aspects of going forward despite fear and innate caution can be helpful. I suspect myself of being more foolish than brave most of the time, but regardless, I believe it important to keep expanding against inner and outer forces that try to limit our lives.

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  10. Hi Will - good to see (read?) you. It is courageous to lay ourselves open to others. In fact if there WAS a definition of courage I do believe that would be it.

    Best to you.

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