Everyday Courage, Courage Every Day
Courage, what a powerful word. Take a moment to either speak the word aloud or silently to yourself. Who or what comes to mind when it is spoken? It likely evokes various thoughts and imagery of heroic people, or events and acts that called upon someone to act with courage. In his book, The Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela writes: “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. I felt fear myself more times than I can remember, but I hid it behind a mask of boldness. The brave [person] is not [one] who does not feel afraid, but [one] who conquers that fear.”
I know, I know, invoking the name of someone as accomplished as President Mandela, but stay with me. Of course, our dear Madiba is a towering legend and the circumstances of his life and career are legendary as well. But we need not compare ourselves and circumstances to him. I would symbolically equate Mandela and his impact upon humanity to that of a towering redwood tree. These century old, one hundred feet high, and twenty-five feet in diameter, trees are awe inspiring. Yet, these massive trees first started out as seeds, then seedlings, and thereafter saplings before they became fully grown mature trees. Ironically, while we will view the Mandelas of the world as towering redwoods we sometimes see the problems that require courage as towering redwoods.
Yet the courage that we exhibit need not be for the massive redwood problem or dilemma confronting us. Sometimes we just need courage for the everyday issues we encounter. Without doubt we see daily images in the news of a horrific and brutal military campaign against Ukraine resulting in great suffering and requiring courage on the part of its people. However, your life is your life and should not be measured or compared against the lives of others. The existence of conditions of suffering does not mean you should not attempt to live the best and most meaningful life that you can in the present. In fact, maybe since we are not suffering through the trauma of war and becoming a refugee, is reason enough to live courageously for the everyday things.
I try to avoid writing or talking about something that is only intended for “someone else” and not intended for myself as well. Can I be honest with you? It takes tremendous amounts of courage to share my articles with you. Who am I to think that I have something to share with not just you as a subscriber, but with the world wide web? And if I do have something to write about, who – other than myself – gives me permission or authority to think that the world needs to hear my voice? There is plenty of fear that exists between head (content), heart (passion), and hit (the send button). So, although not a towering Mandela redwood, I summon the courage to stand strong as just a sapling to overcome my fears, hit send and hope that you to will benefit from these posts.
I know you also have your daily encounters of doubt and fear for all manner of things. Your “thing” that requires courage to confront may not seem like a massive fully grown redwood compared to things others are facing. But it’s not about comparison. Your issue might be a seed, a sapling, or a fully grown massive tree, but it is yours to address without the judgment of others.
Sometimes courage needs to be viewed through the lens of everyday life events. For some, a courageous act may just be getting out of the bed to face another day. Does it sound extreme? Not for the person who will be heading to the workplace where they regularly endure harassment and hostility. Not for the Founder and CEO of a company who must announce to their employees that the business can no longer sustain itself and must close. It is in these daily moments and events where we can begin to practice the virtue of courage.
Courage may also take the form of conversations. Virtually everyone has a needed and necessary conversation hanging “out there” that will be difficult and uncomfortable. We all have done it, will do it, or are doing it within some domain of our lives – delaying the necessary conversation. The workplace conversation about the performance of someone you work with. The conversation with someone different from yourself as you both delicately navigate intercultural competence. Or the conversation within a personal relationship about any number of things. Unpleasant as they may be, the conversations are necessary, and you are deserving of the freedom journey that begins by asking: can we set aside some time to talk about ______?
Everyday courage can also be found in the things we do. Just as with delayed conversations, there are plenty of deferred pursuits in our lives. What is the thing or things that you keep telling yourself you are going to do, but remain undone? I’m not talking about “bucket list” someday before you die things; but those important things on your current lists that you just never seem to get to. I’m going to lose weight, I’m going clean this room, I’m going to organize these files, I’m going to take this course, I’m going to learn this topic, all sound good yet can remain accomplished.
There are all kinds of “how” (the method) that can address issues of habit or create prompts to unblock your failure to achieve the “what” (the thing to be undertaken). But the true power may be in the “why” (the reason for undertaking the pursuit). It is the “why” that may be the best ignitor of the courage needed to undertake the task. It is the “why” – the reason for doing something that might serve as the motivator. And even more so, it just may be the reward or outcome of successfully completing the “what” that truly unlocks the action.
Finally, you may have courageous decisions to make. Much like conversations, decisions might be lingering and unattended. Like everything we have discussed here, the decision as to whether it is or is not courageous is totally within your discretion – and not to be judged by others. Those pesky and dreaded decisions that you have put off for some time now. Those personal weighty decisions that remain as status quo and are troubling enough that indecision brings about stress; and the thought of deciding brings about an equal amount of stress. Yet it is the decision itself that takes courage to make, and at the same time provides freedom.
Courage produces freedom and with more courage we can all be free.
Reflection Questions:
What courageous conversations might you have to achieve greater personal freedom?
What courageous new pursuits might you undertake to achieve greater personal freedom?
What courageous decisions must you make to achieve greater personal freedom?