“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” Mark Twain “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” C.S. Lewis A lot of my energy lately has been spent involved in a very difficult situation while serving in a leadership position in a volunteer organization in which bravery is one of its tenants. Because the difficulty is so, well difficult, people are sitting by the sidelines and haven’t come to the defense of their friends with proven character. Speaking up when there is injustice will make you very uncomfortable; but why live a life of ease?
In the present difficulty, I’ve been extremely disappointed but not surprised that I’ve not seen courage from the adult men in leadership or mentoring positions. As C.S. Lewis said, “We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise.” I’ve seen a great deal of courage in one particular young man, however. I think he’s learned that fear won’t get you very far but courage will take you a long way.
