Everyday Courage

     Dictionary.com defines courage as: "The state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery."

     Courage in the face of danger is fairly easy to recognize. We've had ample stories from Hurricane Katrina of average people doing above average things for others. It doesn't matter whether the response from the government was inadequate because of poor planning, or simply because we have trouble conceiving of the anarchy that results from disasters of that magnitude. Individuals in the midst of chaos lent a helping hand to those around them at the risk of their own lives. No one hesitates to define that as courage.

     Likewise we readily acknowledge the courage of anyone who jumps into a raging river to save someone else, or who runs into a burning building, or onto a busy street.

     Courage in the face of vicissitude? Vicissitudes are those unexpected shifts in life that tend to happen when we're not looking. (See, you really can learn something by reading this column.)

     Sometimes, like danger, they're easy to identify. An accident that takes the life of a loved one; the loss of a job after many years of service; a life-threatening disease.

     As I write this, the twenty fifth Terry Fox Run has just been completed. Thousands of people in Canada and dozens of other countries have run, walked, biked, and rolled a few kilometers to continue Terry's dream of raising enough money to find a cure for cancer. In the play Julius Caesar, Shakespeare said "The evil men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with the bones." In Terry's case, I'm sure we'd agree that it's exactly the opposite. The courage of one young man continues to inspire us and to give hope to others who are themselves facing the same situation Terry faced. The good has most certainly lived on.

     Usually though, the changes in our lives are less dramatic. They occur slowly, creeping up on us without any fanfare. Like a slow leak in a tire. We don't realize that we're pulling just a little harder on the steering wheel every day to keep the car traveling in a straight line.

     The courage to acknowledge and change this type of situation can be hard to come by. Friends and family may not see the challenges we're facing. To stretch the analogy a bit, from their perspective our "tires" seem fine. Or the opposite may be true. Someone may tell us our tire is soft and we'd rather not look. It might mean we need a new one. Of course, if we do nothing, eventually we'll end up with a flat.

     Courage, as dictionary.com notes, is also the quality of being able to face our fears. In situations of obvious danger or catastrophic change, those fears may be obvious: fear of death, or the inability to provide for our families.

     In those "slow leak" situations however, those fears can be much more subtle. Fear of ridicule, of being considered a failure. Fear of retribution from a disgruntled co-worker, or a life partner. Fear of acknowledging that we contributed to whatever situation we find ourselves in. We're afraid to change because we're afraid of being judged, by others or ourselves.

     That's why God kept the right to judge. God knows that we're not perfect, and that, no matter what we do, we're going to make mistakes. Sometimes we're going to make the same mistake twice. Or even more.

     All that God asks is that we have the courage to admit that the tire is soft. And that we make the effort to change it.