Is it a sharp breath before jumping off the edge? Is it the tightness in your chest That pulls you up when everyone else is sitting down? Is it the burning heat in your eyes That smolders and boils As you gaze upon those who oppose you? Is that courage? Or is courage the defiant silence – The silence that watches your nose bleed In the foggy cracked mirror? Is it the child who says, “I love you” Between the sniffling and trembling? Is courage allowing the tears to come When there are people around to witness your suffering? Is courage looking up? Is courage focusing on the next step forward Rather than the hundreds already taken? Is courage doing what you believe is right No matter how much your palms sweat Or how much your knees shake Or how much your stomach twists Or how much your lips tremble Or how much doubt you feel That anything you do will change anything? Is courage a lie? Does Courage exist? A dictionary says Courage is “The quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. without fear” If that is truly what courage means, Then there is no such thing. Fear is not something that you can decide not to have. Fear is deep. Fear is psycological. Fear is biological. Fear is natural. Fear is not a pebble in one’s brain that can be removed on a whim. Fear can, however, be ignored. Fear can be climbed over. Fear can be conquered. Facing a difficulty fully aware of the fear Is what makes an action courageous. Courage is speaking up Acting out Crying Smiling Holding back Being silent Knowing the punch is going to come Knowing the insult is going to come Knowing the tears are going to come And the conflict And the questions And the darkness And the thunder And the criticism And the judgement And the violence And the doubt, Disbelief, and denial And knowing that 3:30 AM comes around every single night Regardless of whether or not you can sleep. Courage is opening your eyes Even when you don’t like what you see Because you have to. And you don’t have to just because somebody told you to Or because you read it somewhere Or heard it somewhere Or saw it somewhere. You have to because there’s substance in you. There’s a third dimension to you. You have to because that tightness in your chest Isn’t something you control. There is no Courage Switch. You can’t cultivate courage. Everyone has it but not everyone has seen it. Not everyone has used it But everyone can.