we were meant to be courageous
The topic of courage has been on my mind for a while now. Candace Owens said recently on her podcast, “What we are suffering from in society is a tremendous cowardice.. people who are fearful of not being liked.” I feel this in a big way. I find that I am generally frustrated with the lack of boldness in people. I truly believe we are in desperate need of more bravery. People who are courageous enough to stand up for what’s right are far too scarce. Most people just want to lay low, not ruffle any feathers. They want to sit in their comfort. They don’t want to involve themselves in conflict. And they definitely don’t want to be disliked.
As a society, we simply have to be more courageous.
We need courage to tell the truth. To stand up for the truth, even when the majority is telling a lie. If you know me, you know that the truth is what I value most. I’m for the truth - even if it’s uncomfortable, even if it’s unpopular, even if it’s ugly. I am a slave to the truth.
“I’m for the truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it’s for or against.”
I have always admired people who are brave, and the more I live the more I admire honesty above all. People who are brave enough to tell the truth at all times. I have watched time and time again as someone pretends to be unaware when they witness wrongdoing. They are so afraid of being disliked or upsetting someone, they refuse to expose evil, and instead look the other way. I will say this- we need to get more comfortable with being uncomfortable.
One reason people don’t want to speak up is because they are too comfortable with their reality. If they pretend not to see the truth, then they can continue on with their own narrative. It’s safe there because they have no enemies. But the truth will always come to light, and in the end, you want to be on the side of truth. And the truth is - if you are brave enough to tell the truth, you will most certainly make some enemies. We need to be brave enough to shake things up. We cannot avoid persecution at the expense of the truth.
“People like to say that the conflict is between good and evil. The real conflict is between truth and lies.”
We need courage to think for ourselves. No one wants to be an outlier when it comes to opinions or beliefs. Again, it is safer to follow the crowd and not make a target of yourself. But what if the crowd has been deceived? To live in the truth, we must first be able to see the truth. And if you’re letting others think for you, you’re probably not even awake enough to distinguish the truth from the lies. In my view, what the world needs more than anything is more people who are courageous enough to think for themselves.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.”
We need courage to question what we have been taught. I was taught many ideas growing up that I later learned to be untrue. I was also taught many ideas that still hold true today. Eventually, I lived enough life to gain the confidence and courage to see the truth through my own eyes. I know people who believe a certain thing simply because it never occurred to them that they could question it. I am still learning to “fact check” things that we were taught in school, church, and elsewhere. I don’t share the same views as all the Christians I grew up with, but I am firm in my faith. I don’t share the same views as all Democrats or all Republicans, but I know exactly what I believe in.
And in case no one has told you, it’s okay to stand somewhere in the middle. In fact, it makes more sense, but it’s harder for people to do because they don’t have a tribe there. People are afraid of the grey area, but in actuality, the grey area is where we find common ground. It’s where we can learn from one another and expand our minds beyond what we’ve been trained to believe. It requires confidence and strong independence to think beyond what your party, your denomination, or your tribe tells you to believe. Be brave enough to stand alone, to seek the truth, and to have your own view.
I believe courage and goodness go hand in hand, as do bravery and truth. If we want to do more good in the world, we have to find the courage to stand up for what’s right, speak the truth when it’s unpopular, and sit at tables with people who believe different things than us. We need the courage to listen. To let others teach us how to think beyond what we think we know now. And to be brave enough to say “I was wrong.”
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”
I hope you find the courage to go against the grain, to stand up for what’s right in the face of adversity, and to live in bravery and in truth, untamed.
“The greatest fear in the world is of the opinions of others. And the moment you are unafraid of the crowd, you are no longer a sheep - you become a lion. A great roar arises in your heart - the roar of freedom. ”
