(#6108) Here is the deal with courage

      I am no expert at being courageous all the time. None of us are. We often just get a bit of luck and/or the correct circumstances appear to allow us the impetus in the moment to be courageous. Most of the time when we have to weigh whether to be courageous our own insecurities and fears have a part in it. Thus making the decision to be courageous much more uncertain. For myself in those instances I have already defined the lines I won't cross and then behave courageous in those moments. I don't let fear or indecision come into the logic because I have already made my decision should the circumstance arise.
     Why this is important to me is because I have been cowardly in the past and after having experienced cowardice I have made it a point to never be cowardly again. That is my goal. So if one of the scenarios approaches that I have already decided won't be tolerated then I am not considering a rethink, I am considering a battle plan. I understand that deciding my fate is risky in areas where my courage must be prominent. However, I also know that not risking because of fear is not who I am. The greater good is to be courageous when given the choice. Others have gone on before me to give me examples of heroism when fear could have been utilized. To those I admire and respect to my dying day.
     I often write about Nathan Hale and his penultimate response at the hangman's noose. He regretted having only one life to lose for his country. That statement of Nathan's was so powerful in my life once I understood that defeating fear in our lives is perfectly noble and standing with courage is perfectly correct. Again, I am no Nathan Hale but I do try to live up to his example. We re currently in a reality here in America where Nathan's words are prescient. So many of us are already gearing our minds toward a time when the courage we muster may have a cost and those many of us are secure in the knowledge that our contested price to pay is a worthy value defining who we are and who we will be!