I used to think that courage was being willing to take chances, not appreciating the consequences of possible failure, or acting brashly against all odds. A kind of old west mythology that was encouraged by personalities like John Wayne and the folk hero Wyatt Earp. These heroes that were cast for public consumption were far less courageous than we all thought because they were little more than mannequins to hang designs upon. See, a public that truly believes in the fictional courage of the "Law West of the Pecos", or the fellow in the big white hat, there has got to be no discussion about the courage that could potentially bring down the power elites who make the movies, the oligarchs who buy politicians like we buy chocolates. True courage is standing for what is right, not only in spite of the odds, but because of them. I ended my last post with a favorite saying that comes from the founding times of the United States of America. "We must all hang together, or we will surely hang separately." That is why I continue to exhibit the courage required to speak truth to power. Because I believe in an America that is of, for and by the people, not just those who have most of the cash, property and wealth.
Courage is not only being willing to sacrifice yourself for the greater good, but to be completely okay with the bargain. Not for the accolades which death might bring, but selflessly, the way cave dwellers retreated into the depths to make their art. Courage can be as simple as giving to your guests when you are nearly out yourself, or giving to those in need, even when it hurts, when you know they may never re-pay you. courage is going out on a limb for something you believe in, facing your fears even when they threaten to disable you. Courage is the action taken, based on a desire to improve the quality of life for everyone, or perhaps for just one person, whatever the cost. Courage is the willingness to step in, even when your opinions may be unwanted, the ability to speak truth to power even when your voice quakes or wavers, to make sure that those listening know that you will no longer be ignored.
A friend gave me a copy of Sierra Magazine today, it had some interesting facts about courageous individuals who are committed to ecological restoration and ending habitat destruction for billions of creatures around the planet, those who stand up to the oligarchs who want to poison their land, air, water and food. Here is just a tiny snapshot of what took place in 2015, the most dangerous year for environmentalists to date (still waiting on statistics for 2016 and 2017) these numbers were compiled by Global Witness. One-hundred and eighty-five environmentalists were murdered. Fifty were killed in Brazil alone! Thirty-three were killed in the Phillipines. Forty percent of the ECO-logically motivated environmentalists were from indigenous groups. These killings need to be considered genocide. Many of these murders are left un-investigated, of the ones that were, twenty were killed because they resisted agri-bussiness, forty-two were killed because they resisted mining interests. Thirteen of the murders were committed by national armed forces, eleven of the murders were committed by the local police force. These statistics point out how courage leads to commitment, especially to causes that concern the long term habitability of our planet. Just to put this level of courage in perspective...42 police officers died in the line of duty in The United States Of America that same year, the exact same number of people who were killed for opposing mining interests.
Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. -C.S. Lewis
This misunderstood aspect of the nine noble virtues has to be experienced to be understood. Many are waking up to the concept of doing things that will benefit the next seven generations, something native people have known about for millennea. With the advent of capitalism, there has been greater and greater exploitation of the masses and the time has come for more and more people to stand in the face of this continuing onslaught and to no longer stand for this sort of anti-humanitarian effort to part people from their wealth. Perhaps the most courageous thing we can do is to stand together in the face of economic terrorism and say, collectively and unabashedly, "No more." No more will we stand for raiding the public coffers for the corporate welfare flowing to the few. No longer will we have our teachers maligned and denied a living wage. No longer will we subsidize the fossil and nuclear energy corporations. No longer will we stand for arms dealers profiting from death and destruction. No longer will we accept mayhem and chaos as foreign policy. These are all courageous stands and I. for one, will never retreat from a single one!
Courage, my friends, courage.
We face a series of hurdles to get our messages out. No one can profit from compassion, no one can take a lifestyle worth living to the bank. We must remain strong, committed and fearless as we face those who hold all the cards. we will continue to find ways to better ourselves and our communities in spite of these economic assaults. Standing up against forces hell bent on stealing our children's future requires a courage that has, as yet, been elusive. as the stakes rise, there will be more and more willing to stand up for what is right and good, for our families and neighborhoods. It takes courage to find new ways of building community because many may call us crazy before we prove the efficacy of compassion. There will be those who call us rebels, but our rebellion is against the heinous abuses that have been perpetrated against us. all truth goes through three stages, first it is denied, then it is questioned, finally it is accepted as fact. It takes courage to bring the new information to the table and those who don't want us to understand truth and facts will spend their last dime trying to convince us that our truth is not real. courageous people will always stand in the face of terror and destruction and speak for those who are not able to do so for themselves. We each give our lives for future generations, courage makes us live specifically to make the world they inherit a better place. fearful and timid people seek to destroy the planet, the creation of generations past and the wonderful abundance that nature provides. The courageous do the exact opposite, nurturing, creating harmony and building systems that will provide benefits for future generations.
Courage is not only being willing to sacrifice yourself for the greater good, but to be completely okay with the bargain. Not for the accolades which death might bring, but selflessly, the way cave dwellers retreated into the depths to make their art. Courage can be as simple as giving to your guests when you are nearly out yourself, or giving to those in need, even when it hurts, when you know they may never re-pay you. courage is going out on a limb for something you believe in, facing your fears even when they threaten to disable you. Courage is the action taken, based on a desire to improve the quality of life for everyone, or perhaps for just one person, whatever the cost. Courage is the willingness to step in, even when your opinions may be unwanted, the ability to speak truth to power even when your voice quakes or wavers, to make sure that those listening know that you will no longer be ignored.
A friend gave me a copy of Sierra Magazine today, it had some interesting facts about courageous individuals who are committed to ecological restoration and ending habitat destruction for billions of creatures around the planet, those who stand up to the oligarchs who want to poison their land, air, water and food. Here is just a tiny snapshot of what took place in 2015, the most dangerous year for environmentalists to date (still waiting on statistics for 2016 and 2017) these numbers were compiled by Global Witness. One-hundred and eighty-five environmentalists were murdered. Fifty were killed in Brazil alone! Thirty-three were killed in the Phillipines. Forty percent of the ECO-logically motivated environmentalists were from indigenous groups. These killings need to be considered genocide. Many of these murders are left un-investigated, of the ones that were, twenty were killed because they resisted agri-bussiness, forty-two were killed because they resisted mining interests. Thirteen of the murders were committed by national armed forces, eleven of the murders were committed by the local police force. These statistics point out how courage leads to commitment, especially to causes that concern the long term habitability of our planet. Just to put this level of courage in perspective...42 police officers died in the line of duty in The United States Of America that same year, the exact same number of people who were killed for opposing mining interests.
Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. -C.S. Lewis
This misunderstood aspect of the nine noble virtues has to be experienced to be understood. Many are waking up to the concept of doing things that will benefit the next seven generations, something native people have known about for millennea. With the advent of capitalism, there has been greater and greater exploitation of the masses and the time has come for more and more people to stand in the face of this continuing onslaught and to no longer stand for this sort of anti-humanitarian effort to part people from their wealth. Perhaps the most courageous thing we can do is to stand together in the face of economic terrorism and say, collectively and unabashedly, "No more." No more will we stand for raiding the public coffers for the corporate welfare flowing to the few. No longer will we have our teachers maligned and denied a living wage. No longer will we subsidize the fossil and nuclear energy corporations. No longer will we stand for arms dealers profiting from death and destruction. No longer will we accept mayhem and chaos as foreign policy. These are all courageous stands and I. for one, will never retreat from a single one!
Courage, my friends, courage.
We face a series of hurdles to get our messages out. No one can profit from compassion, no one can take a lifestyle worth living to the bank. We must remain strong, committed and fearless as we face those who hold all the cards. we will continue to find ways to better ourselves and our communities in spite of these economic assaults. Standing up against forces hell bent on stealing our children's future requires a courage that has, as yet, been elusive. as the stakes rise, there will be more and more willing to stand up for what is right and good, for our families and neighborhoods. It takes courage to find new ways of building community because many may call us crazy before we prove the efficacy of compassion. There will be those who call us rebels, but our rebellion is against the heinous abuses that have been perpetrated against us. all truth goes through three stages, first it is denied, then it is questioned, finally it is accepted as fact. It takes courage to bring the new information to the table and those who don't want us to understand truth and facts will spend their last dime trying to convince us that our truth is not real. courageous people will always stand in the face of terror and destruction and speak for those who are not able to do so for themselves. We each give our lives for future generations, courage makes us live specifically to make the world they inherit a better place. fearful and timid people seek to destroy the planet, the creation of generations past and the wonderful abundance that nature provides. The courageous do the exact opposite, nurturing, creating harmony and building systems that will provide benefits for future generations.
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