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Today's
Meditation:
Sometimes
the people we love are those who try us the most,
especially when they say and do things that run counter to
our own ethics and values. What do we do when
someone we care for dearly wants to do something that we
know is wrong? What do we do when they say something
that causes harm to someone else? Do we let it slide
because they're our friends and we don't want to risk
losing them? Or do we reach inside, muster our
courage, and say what we know needs to be said, no matter
what the consequences may be?
If we
say nothing, of course, things get worse because not only
has someone we care for just done something to harm
someone else, but we're also now complicit because we've
refused to stand up for what we know is right because
we're afraid that the consequences of doing so won't be to
our liking. If we're to be brave, we must be brave
in all situations so that we don't put ourselves in a
position that may compromise our integrity. A lack
of bravery can lead us to compromise a lot in our lives,
and that type of compromise is not good for us.
Courage
is in each of us, but not all of us choose to exercise
it. Some of us prefer to leave the courage lying
alone, unused, as we prefer to take the safe route.
The courageous route isn't necessarily the dangerous
route, yet it most certainly can lead to difficulties in
our lives. If we courageously stand up to our
friends, for example, we face consequences up to and
including losing our friends. It would be nice if
there were no consequences for courage, but that's simply
not true. Courage has a price, and sometimes it's a
difficult choice to make to choose something that comes
with a price.
I
sincerely hope that I never lose my courage. I want
to stand up for what's right, and I want to walk away from
what's wrong-- or confront it if need be. I need
courage to live my own truths, to do the things that other
people don't do, to push myself past my levels of comfort
and passivity in order to accomplish things that simply
can't be accomplished without courage. Life gives us
plenty of chances to exercise and exert our courage, and
it's up to us whether we want to take those chances or
not.
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