Courage

Courage             

By John W. Vander Velden

Each of us has our own definition of the word courage.  Many center their thoughts upon the brave that stand the front line upon the battlefield.  I can agree with that.  But I have witnessed courage in the lives of what most might consider ordinary folks.  There are many difficult situations, aren’t there?  Too often we overlook others that battle each day, fighting wars no one sees, against foes that they know, in the end will overcome.  Does fear only come with the sound of explosions?  And does facing a personal terror take less grit than a public one?

Sooner or later living requires courage.  The only other option is surrender.  Too often, it seems, some flee from life’s contentions, racing toward an artificial release, a fleeting escape that in the end brings its own battles.  Each will face a monster, some must face many, whether they stand or run at those times reveals the truth.  How important to remember that tears do not wash away courage.  Tears do not dilute the actions of the brave.  Times they provide the fuel to reach places unreachable.  Sometimes their flow carries the heart to the source of Love and the needed strength that can only be found there.

How does one face the test of principles?  On what ground do those stand whose values are shaken by the shifting winds of current opinion?  Some might not notice the demands upon them.  Few see how difficult holding onto what is truth, when most others proclaim those things invalid.  How easy to simply give in, to follow, to forget.  But the courageous are not afraid to question, for the truth remains true.  And when at last the test has passed, the brave with an open mind determines the place they stand, and with courage state, this is where I stand, this is what I am!

So what is your definition of courage, and who do you call brave? 

(324 Words)