What Courage Is Not

Expect a Quest

June: On Conflict and Courage GoFundMe for my wife's cancer fund: https://gofund.me/3682c6720 [https://gofund.me/3682c6720] June 14 When danger comes your way, you won’t turn a blind eye and ignore it, you won’t wildly throw yourself at it with no plan—you’ll be prepared, you’ll see it for what it is, and you’ll face it. But you never have to go it alone. Link may have only had a sword to help him back in the 80s, but maybe the fact that it was gifted by a caring old man who worried over Link and his journey was enough to serve the purpose. Even if no one is with you physically, remember that people are rooting for you and guiding you. Carry them with you in your heart and mind. So take the sword willingly, but don’t look at it as a symbol of violence or aggression, rather as proof of your determination and defiance in the face of adversity. At some point on your journey, conflict lies ahead.  Be sure of it.  Expect it. Prepare for it. * Reflection title: Expect a Quest * Creative inspiration: The Old Man in a Cave, The Legend of Zelda (1986) * Reflection Question: It’s dangerous to go alone! What sword are you taking with you? What danger did you face in the past that you wish you had been better prepared for?

What Courage Is Not

June: On Conflict and Courage GoFundMe for my wife's cancer fund: https://gofund.me/3682c6720 [https://gofund.me/3682c6720] June 13 Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. Courage is not aggression masquerading as bravery.  Courage is not punching down. Courage is not using force or intimidation to silence others. Courage is not shouting over others. Courage is not gaslighting others or lying to them. Courage is not keeping quiet when you know it’s right to speak up. Courage is not avoiding difficult conversations out of fear. Courage is not denial of facts or reason. Courage is not ignoring evidence that challenges your beliefs or worldview. * Reflection title: What Courage Is Not * Creative inspiration: Harper Lee, Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird * Reflection Question: Real courage is . . .

Has To Be You

June: On Conflict and Courage GoFundMe for my wife's cancer fund: https://gofund.me/3682c6720 [https://gofund.me/3682c6720] June 12 While the failures of the powerful are glaring, they mirror something deeper and closer to home. This applies to those with influence or control—those who’ve publicly abdicated their personal responsibility and accountability, yes—but it also applies to all humans, all over the world. In a time when we all face global challenges like war, climate change, injustice, or poverty (the list goes on), we as individuals must stop and examine what role we’ve played in any or all of it. We have to recognize our mistakes, admit them freely and openly, and then work to fix them. We have to show the future generation a better way and that there is still moral courage left in this world. We all have the power to act as Mordin did when he made the decision to release the cure and fix the problem he created, even if it meant losing it all. We all have the obligation to act with integrity. Especially when it’s hard. Especially when it’s personal. That’s where it begins. It has to be you. Someone else might get it wrong. * Reflection title: Has To Be You * Creative inspiration: Mass Effect 3 * Reflection Question: Am I owning up to my mistakes? Do I embrace my personal responsibility to fix the problems I’ve created? If not, where will I start?

Don’t Turn Around

June: On Conflict and Courage GoFundMe for my wife's cancer fund: https://gofund.me/3682c6720 [https://gofund.me/3682c6720] June 11 It’s the child who hears the banging outside their window at night, burying themselves beneath the covers, hiding from the monster trying to get in, but if they’d just look, they’d see it’s nothing more than a loose shutter in the wind.  If you stand your ground and face your fear—all of those other possibilities fall away. You’ll never even be able to remember them all. You will see what you’re up against, and you will be empowered to think and choose your best course of action. Simply, facing your fears with courage puts you in control of how you handle the situation, and even better, it puts you in control of your own mind and reasoning. So, take a page from the young fictional soldier Henry Fleming’s book and know that it is better to view the appalling than to be merely within hearing. * Reflection title: Don’t Turn Around * Creative inspiration: Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage * Reflection Question: What appalling thing in my life am I turning my back on? What small things can I face head on with courage now, leading up to larger challenges?

Dare To Know!

June: On Conflict and Courage GoFundMe for my wife's cancer fund: https://gofund.me/3682c6720 [https://gofund.me/3682c6720] June 10 The shopping, social media, exercise and health, and AI apps are meant to make our lives “easier” or “better,” but they often only complicate things further at the cost of our own accountability and autonomy. It takes discipline and time to slow down and think for yourself. And it’s not a perfect world—and it’s not always easy. Sometimes the cards are stacked against you. Remember—thought is the greatest threat to those in power. Ever think of the possibility that they want to make it as easy as possible for you not to think? So slow down, sift through the noise and take your rational and reasoned tools and get to work on your understanding of the matter. It takes courage to dare to know, but you have what it takes.  * Reflection title: Dare To Know!  * Creative inspiration: Immanuel Kant, An Answer to the Question: What Is Enlightenment? * Reflection Question: Do I dare to do the work? To get my hands dirty to really know something? Where am I taking the easy way out?