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Courage is knowing what not to fear ~ Plato
What does it take to stand in front of oncoming army tanks and halt their progress with nothing more than one's body and the desire to stop gross injustice? How does one stand against the System telling the ugly truth over and over in the unshakeable belief that one day their efforts will bring change for the better? What kind of person can resist society's norms and remain true to what they know is right even in the face of ridicule, exclusion and disdain? Every good thing that we enjoy in today's world has been brought to us by the determination and efforts of people such as these. In all the billions only a handful stand out, but that mere handful changed the way the entire world was shaped politically, geographically, culturally, and civilly.
Considering what we have gained from their efforts, it is startling to realise very few know the details of what these heroes did or what they sacrificed for the greater good. Some were assassinated: Mohandas Gandhi. Abraham Lincoln. Elijah Lovejoy. Martin Luther King Jr. Sitara Achikzai. The Unknown Hero of Tiananmen Square. Those who were not assassinated chose to give up their personal path to live their lives for the long-term benefit of others: George Washington. Mother Teresa. Florence Nightingale.
The question which begs asking is were these people visionaries, living ahead of their time, seeing what the rest of their contemporaries could not? Was their destiny to open the eyes of others, in effect awakening them to the wrongs of the world the majority simply believed to be the standard? Are some born able to see the ills of the world as plainly as others see fields, trees, and forests? Is it possible their elevated consciousness helped them to correctly assess the mistaken paradigms of man; and once they had done so they accepted the responsibility to address the chasms between truth and fiction - no matter the cost?
Courage is the power to let go of the familiar - Raymond Lindquist
In the days of slavery, it was considered the height of insanity to suggest the freeing of one's slaves, allowing the enslaved the opportunity to enjoy life equally with free humans. It is interesting to note that those who owned the slaves never considered themselves as free. They simply saw themselves as entitled to own other humans and treat them as they saw fit. To them, those humans were less than they and therefore entitled to such inhumane treatment as slavery. Along comes an enlightened soul who sees the slaves not as so-called beasts but as humans and feels the compassion that comes from realising they are only one small step removed from their brothers - a step arbitrarily imposed by white man. They can do nothing less than to try to stop the injustice. Now imagine being blessed with this awareness in the mid- 1800's when most of the industry of America was based on slave labour. Imagine being the one who broaches the subject at dinner parties. Courage.
In spite of the risk of standing against slavery, one by one, others saw what the first few recognised and joined the cause which eventually triggered the American Civil War, a war which forever changed the face of America and the belief keeping humans as slaves was acceptable. Countless numbers died in the Civil War. In the intervening years, abolitionists were assassinated for their efforts by those who fought against the changes legislation had forced upon them. In spite of the risk of losing one's life, in spite of a long, bloody war, the deep courage of a few enlightened souls changed our world forever, and the lives of millions benefited from their sacrifices.
