Sometimes bravery means to search for the things and the people who make you feel alive to take risks, to be a long shot, and an outlier. Sometimes bravery means raising up that white flag, accepting defeat, and finding the will to move on from that defeat without resentment, and with wisdom. Sometimes bravery means putting up the fight of your life, and fighting till the very end. Sometimes bravery means having the prudence to pause, to sit in silence, and to be okay. Sometimes bravery means being the person who stands out in the crowd, who speaks up, and who must be a voice, either the voice they need to hear, or a voice for others. When I think of all the people in my lifetime who have been brave and who continue to be brave, I realize that bravery means many different things in different situations. Bravery requires courage because first you must make the choice to be at the show, and then to get up and sing too.
Fear always leads to regret, while bravery leads to knowing.īravery requires endurance because it requires persistence and perseverance – that thing that keeps you going after the proverbial fat lady has sung and the show is over.
Fear is the thing that chooses mediocre, while bravery is the thing that takes the risk of chance, a chance that could bring greatness or defeat. Fear is the thing that paralyzes, while bravery is the thing that frees. Oh, the irony.īut knowing that fear is inescapable is exactly why bravery is of utmost necessity in life. It is an enemy you will battle till death. The most profound thing I have learned about fear is that there is no escaping it. For the record, I have no problem with clichés – they exist because there is usually some truth to them. There are lots of quotes about overcoming fear so I will spare you the clichés. But I also fear other things like contracting diseases (I have hypochondriac tendencies), drowning (even though I’m a decent swimmer), and being misunderstood – in an existential kind of way. These are supposedly the two contemporary greatest human fears alongside death – a long-standing human fear. Like most people, I have a fear of rejection and failure. Most people don’t like to get to know their enemies but I am of the opinion that one must not only know their enemies, but it is infinitely beneficial to understand them. Fear is an enemy, and a cruel one at that. In order to understand bravery, one must understand its opposite – fear. To this wager, I add that when one is brave, two of these qualities have to co-exist, and they are both of equal importance.
The Oxford dictionary primarily defines ‘brave’ as the following: Ready to face and endure danger or pain showing courage. From the definition, I wager there are two parts to being brave – the ability to endure, and courage.
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