Friday, July 04, 2008,
11:07 PM
There are all kinds of courage in this world.
First, there's the courage to do something others won't. Jesus showed this courage. His apostles showed this courage. They decided to do things others won't. To be different. Not just for the sake of being different, but that they were convinced what they did was right, even if they were the minority.
Then, there's the courage to do something you yourself would not have done in normal circumstances. Sometimes, it's this kind of courage that makes people take the leap of faith, makes them do something so wild or speak of such a wacky idea, so crazy, that sometimes, it works out, and the person who did it, the person who had the courage, he is glorified and gets his place in the history books. Well, maybe not always in the world history books, but that person will most certainly be in the history books of someone who cared and loved him very much.
Then, of course, there's the courage to live with your mistakes. In life, we do make mistakes, like it or not. What separates the ordinary person from the extraordinary is that the extraordinary person learns to live with it. See, the thing is, sometimes, or rather, most of the time, we find we cannot undo our mistakes. For some, they dwell in a dimension called "if-only". They wished somehow they had the chance to go back and change the past, and correct the mistake. Day and night, they think about it. Dwell on it. Shower themselves with all the guilt in the world. Until one day, they just can't live with themselves anymore. And they take their own lives.
So for someone to be able to live with their mistakes.. it takes a LOT of courage.
Yes, there are all kinds of courage. So next time, notice the person standing next to you in the train, or the person opposite you in the coffee shop. Look closer. Who knows? You might be looking at a hero...
