Courage

This Sunday, it’s hard not to reflect on our Dads, our DNA carriers. Mine had (he passed away a few years ago) a mixture of courage, melancholy and good look. It’s his first character that I chose to reflect on this year. Courage more than often demands confrontation. Many of us would rather avoid confronting evil, or delay any involvement (at least, this is a step up from apathy). But any student can tell us that war has been a big part of human history.
War and its aftermath entailed many associated and often times hidden costs. War brought with it unintended consequences, since a force would inevitably bring on an opposite and equal reaction (Newton’s law of motion).
Courage takes into consideration all the known consequences, but still goes ahead.
My dad stood up for me when the bully had beaten me down (I had stood my ground before that as well, having some of his DNA’s). Fast forward to the present time, collectively, we are faced with a huge “bully”: a mixture of danger and opportunity (Crisis). There are 1 Billion people going hungry every night right now.  Imagine a world where hunger is alleviated, and this 1 billion are put to productive work (not to say consume). UN leadership should be calculating the costs right now as we speak.  Their action will require a lot of courage.  The American character has shown to be on the side of courage and involvement, rather than avoidance. For the costs of inaction will be much higher.

Happy Father’s Day and be courageous!