A recent post set my quiet mind on fire and prompted me to have to speak up. A picture of some of our Military with the caption, "This is true courage, not Bruce Jenner" left me shaking my head. Why do we even need to make a comparison? It's like holding up an apple and an orange and saying, "this apple is a real fruit, the orange isn't." Courage has many, many faces and is defined as, "the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. without fear; bravery. To act in accordance with one's beliefs, especially in spite of criticism." Please don't misunderstand what I am saying here. I commend ALL military personnel, as well as police and firefighters, for their courage and commitment. My goal is just to open our minds to a much broader view of courage.
When I sat down to gather my thoughts, I ran through my mind some situations where courage has abounded. Courage is after all a spark of the human spirit that allows us to forge ahead regardless. Ordinary people on a daily basis, both young and old make courageous choices that are the full expression of its definition. Here are some of the ways I have experienced courage with myself and others.
~Courage is fighting an addiction.
~Courage is having the strength to leave.
~Courage is standing up for what you believe, even if it goes against the norm.
~Courage is being a parent.
~Courage is in the face of those fighting illness or disease.
~Courage is in the children who step on the school bus for the first time.
~Courage is the mom who never stops even at the point of complete exhaustion.
~Courage is being your true self.
~Courage is saying no.
~Courage is trying something new.
~Courage is letting go.
~Courage is intervening on some one's behalf
~Courage is facing the truth
~Courage has many, many faces....
There are so many faces of courage that is is nearly impossible to list them all. I do want to add another two cents as this all started with a comparison. I commend Bruce Jenner for standing up for who he truly is. It definitely takes courage to go against our societal margins of what is allowed and accepted. I applaud him for having the courage that others cannot find. So many, many people never allow themselves to be who they truly are for fear of being ostracized, violated, persecuted, beaten or killed. To stand up for who you truly are is certainly courageous in my book.
If you know me or follow me then you already know that this is one of the things that I have and will continue to fight for: total equality for all. I will use my courage to speak up and to speak out when anyone is discriminated against for just being who they are.
Courage truly has many, many faces. I just hope we can open our eyes wide enough to catch even a small glimpse of it daily.
Debbie Fisher
Encompassing Life, LLC.
