Spirituality for Living

Courage is a very simple thing, and yet we don’t really tackle it much. What is courage really? Is it some special strength of character that some have and others don’t?

It seems we never think we have it ourselves, but we like to put it on others often to their embarrassment. I think we are all capable of courage, but it depends on the trigger. We are all capable of courage, but actually no. Waiting for the trigger can be a problem. We suffer many defeats waiting for that trigger that we never need experience. Any choice you may make could be wrong. This is a simple fact, and the majority of people just won’t make a decision, or take that action, because it might be wrong. But do we avoid misfortune that way? Has anyone avoided loss or failure by refusing to choose and act?

I’m thinking of those people, and they complain of misfortune a lot, and use it to justify more inaction actually. Yes, and they have reason to complain. They do have a lot of misfortune, but blame the world and thus just keep having it.

I don’t blame the world. I blame myself. But courage is moving beyond even blame of yourself. With courage, who to blame just doesn’t matter.

We all have a drive to engage life. People like animals go stir crazy if their choice of actions is limited. This is a fact, so much so, that marijuana is legal in Alaska, because people were dying from impaired judgment brought on by cabin fever. The marijuana makes them lethargic, so they won’t wander out into the cold and freeze to death. But we have an instinct that doesn’t care if we are wrong. The doubt is not instinctive.  It’s an inherent part of how we are taught to think. Is it in our best interest?

Doubting instinct doesn’t serve a purpose, but we aren’t required to ignore our thinking. Courage doesn’t require we not think. If faced with a choice by all means consider all your options.  Consider the consequences of any action, and since you were likely motivated to do something there anyway, choose one. But choose one. It may be wrong, but does that really matter? Are you having a life if you wait to choose? If you wait to choose will you by some circumstance stop waiting? What will give you permission to stop waiting?

Those people who we call courageous…it’s true that often they do things that really wasn’t that smart. Yet we admire them still. They say there is a fine line between bravery and foolishness, but here is the dirty secret. We are all of us foolish. The wise person is, if anything, an experienced fool. They know more about what’s foolish, and how to choose the better error.

The cowards just keep it a secret. That’s the real cowardice, and you will always be choosing between errors. Always. We have inherently limited minds, and our computing muscles just can’t do everything, or be error free. They are reliant on organs that have limits, are they not? So are we meant to not function because our brains and sense organs are imperfect?

We function despite. Actually the perfect case may be a bit scary. It would be scary. Perfection limits options, and totally stops growth. Courage is not being immune to fear, or even ignoring fear you are feeling. Courage is an awareness of acceptance of the fact of fear, and the realization that you need to act anyway. The worlds famous war heroes even say this, they don’t say they were courageous.

This reminds me of how people will avoid finding out the truth in relationships, or won’t tell the other the truth. Of course those facts can change your life, and many stay with lies to avoid change.  Often what they are avoiding is either just a fact, or it’s a fact of their own insecurity.  If you know “this” about me, you won’t love me anymore. That fear devalues the love they are trying to keep. They’re saying love isn’t stronger then the fear.

Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.

Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~

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