Courage is measured not only by doing what is right, but also by refraining from doing what is wrong... and those two aren't always exactly opposites. There's the gray area where making doing something is the right thing, but you also have to judge if it's the proper time to be correcting what is wrong, because even if doing something is right, doing it the wrong way won't help anything. So courage can also be shown by walking away from what you know is wrong, but are refraining from making right because of underlying reasons. It's never easy to accept something for the time being when you believe otherwise. For example, my mother has a very special way of making cake. Once, she told a friend of hers how she made it just right. So the friend goes and bakes her own cake and the next time there's a gathering, she brings it and everyone compliments her on it and asks her how she does it. She, without considering for a second about my mother, who was the source behind the success, started talking about how she made it and everything. So not only did she give away some parts of my mother's special way of making the cake, she also did not turn any credit towads my mother. Now yes, the right thing that should happen would be that my mother should have spoken and told her friend that what she was doing was wrong, but she didn't, because it just wasn't the right time to do so. It took courage to sit there and listen quietly to someone say stuff like that without speaking up against it. But think of the conflict that would have arisen if she HAD spoken up.

  posted by JW @ 11:32 PM

 
On Courage - Kay

Courage is often a very skewed virtue. People often take courage as facing dangers to stand up for your hurt pride, but honest to God that's not what courage is. Courage is turning away from those who hurt your pride, realize that turning away is not shameful, and to learn how to ignore them instead of striking back.

That's just one example. I was thinking about gang violence in that one. You know how TuPac says he'd rather die a man than live a coward? I don't particularily agree with that, if it means fighting those you hate. My brother once asked me, "what if some guy insulted my mother? I'm not gonna take that!!" I asked him, "why not?" He said something along the lines of, "because I love my mother and I won't stand people insulting her." However, physically fighting for your mother's reputation isn't the smartest, or most courageous, thing to do. It's acting on anger, a false type of courage when your adrenaline is fueled by anger. If you love your mother, you wouldn't risk hurting yourself, because that is what will hurt her most, not fighting against some comment another jerk made.

Jesus was spat on, whipped, mocked, and crowned painfully with thorns. People rioted against Him and challenged Him with every word He uttered. His courage shines through by standing up to what He believes in, calmly and collectively, instead of with physical anger. He has never harmed a soul, even those who have murdered Him. He stood there, took in the insults, and did His duty. THAT is REAL courage: to be able to do what is righteous in the face of humiliation. Real courage CANNOT be measured by brute force.

  posted by MsKarenAu @ 10:39 AM

 
There Will Never Be World Peace - Kay

I hate to say it. I really do. It's sad, the way humanity works. The bullies always end up winning.

Think of it this way. If there were to be a peacekeeping pact between all countries and all countries have signed to drop all military forces, there would always be one asshole who would backstab and take advantage of the situation. Always. No matter what, that's human nature, hungry for power. Those who have dropped their weapons will become the sitting ducks, naturally, and will suffer because they've tried to trust. Shame.

Then there's Jesus Christ. He turned the other cheek when some guy tried to punch him out. He never lashed out at the guards who whipped him or mocked him or stabbed him with spears. He simply stood there to take it all. Those who have followed his example have died for their faith. It's a noble and righteous thing to do, but world peace still remains shattered. Those assholes who killed the faithful stand alive to bring brutality to this world once again. How fair is that?

If everyone agreed to peace and tried to live it out, there would always be one asshole who would come out and commit some sort of felony. People would then feel obligated to achieve justice (which, in my opinion, can only lie within God's hands, since we're all sinners anyway), and another act of hatred would occur. World peace is once again skewed. You see how one asshole can ruin it for the world?

So anyway, that's my short explanation of why a Utopian Society would be impossible. Unless the Devil backs off and takes an eternal coffeebreak, humanity is doomed to fall to evil. End of spiel.

  posted by MsKarenAu @ 11:26 PM