My wise mom used to say, “Association breeds assimilation,” a reminder not to pick up bad habits from others. The saying is true: relationships with others can influence one’s thoughts, beliefs, and actions, good or bad.
Of course, Mom has no problem with my copying good habits.
Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, spoke about assimilation thousands of years before my mom.
In Proverbs 13:20 (KJV). Solomon said, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”
We get it!
Hanging around fools won’t make one wise.
In the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV) reinforces this belief. The verse states, “Do not be misled: ‘” Bad company corrupts good character.'”
The same can be said for hanging around cowards, but conversing and learning from courageous people can make one wise and brave.
It takes courage to stand alone on one’s beliefs and values against those of others, especially dissenters.
We all have to muster a little courage to do certain things, especially those we dread doing. I’m not too fond of needle pricks and shots. To take the seasonal flu and other shots, I have to overcome my anxiety and apprehension.
Courage is an admirable character trait. Cowardice, the opposite of courage, is not so praiseworthy.
Cowards aren’t courageous, and courageous people, even though fearful, aren’t cowards. Courage triumphs over the fear factor, but fear paralyzes and defeats cowards.
Were courageous men and women like Nelson Mandela and Autherine Lucy fearful while acting and fighting to change racist social norms?
You bet!
Fear is not the lack of courage, and courage is not the lack of fear. I wouldn’t go as far as saying fear and courage are brothers or adversaries.
There’s no shame in being fearful. Fearfulness is a primal emotion that alerts, cautions, and protects us against pending and possible dangers.
Most people would say courage is being brave and fearless. But how can one know bravery without knowing fear?
A courageous person stands, faces, and acts despite their fears.
Courage requires problem-solving, intuition, a realistic outlook, commitment, and belief in oneself to accomplish a task or feat.
Courage is struggling through one’s fears to accomplish a deed. When we fear the Goliaths of life, like the shepherd David, we can call on God, who gives us courage.
Mark Twain said, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear — not absence of fear.”
“Courage is about doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared. Have the courage to act instead of react.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes.
Nelson Mandela said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
Personal risks and sacrifices are often courageous deeds.
Telling the truth to those who don’t want to hear it can also be courageous.
Today, we need more courageous people to stand for truth, justice, love, and country.
Be well.