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Sunday Sayings – Courage

Forestwood

Christchurch has had more than its fair share of tragedy in recent years.

gandhi

I could this week have written about hate crimes. I could this week have written about prejudice or racism, or vile acts of terror,such as we have seen close to home. There has been much of this already in the media, and to write more is to give voice to those who espouse these inhuman views.

Instead, this week, I chose to write about an opposing emotion of courage. It is those that show courage in the face of abhorrent adversity that we should acknowledge louder.

Christchurch has had its fair share of tragedy in recent times. Now the residents must show courage in the face of abhorrent adversity.
Pic credit: kassiisaac

We must generate courage equal to the size of the difficulties we face.

Dalai Lama



Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”

– Mary Anne Radmacher


Our morbid interest in these dark events is biological in basis. We are programmed to pay attention to that which we perceive is the greatest threat to us.

This quote is worth remembering:

Perhaps strength doesn’t reside in never having been broken, but in the courage required to grow strong in the broken places.

~Unknown


I find there to be profound wisdom in proverbs, sayings and quotes and I marvel at the way they are so succinct in communicating messages to the reader.

Mostly anonymous, they come to us from past generations and from across cultures. They speak of the experiences of lives lived and lessons learned.

Quotes, like proverbs, make us think more deeply about something.

Join in the discussion by leaving a comment.

Everyone’s opinion is important. What is yours?

Published by Forestwood

A philosophic Aussie writes here at StPA, one who will readily admit to loving Scandinavia. I'm interested in global politics and what drives us to be who we are. Scratch the surface and you'll find a practical Environmentalist with an egalitarian bent, trying to unleash a little creativity via the written word. Scandinavian culture, literature and traditions are close to my heart, even though I'm Australian. Travel and courteous discussions greatly broaden the mind, so I travel if I can and am always up for a vigorous, respectful discussion. I'm an avid reader, a writer and I enjoy photography and crafts, particularly traditional art forms. I hope you'll find 'Something to Ponder About,' in my WordPress Community.

40 thoughts on “Sunday Sayings – Courage”

  1. Fanaticism gives rise to fanaticism.. too sad.. How can we bring up our children differently so that they see less of hate and difference and more of love and similarities.. Or not too fear and abhor differences.. ;-(

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    1. I think we have to let go of the eye for a eye mentality of revenge and retribution for wrongdoings. It might make nations feel better and maintain their pride, which far too many value over ethics, but the world might become a better place if leaders and nations and offended individuals set a better example. Of course, discussing such matters in the home and placing less emphasis on winning and competition as a goal is another starting point. Live and let live, should be our mantra. Everyone is important and we don’t all have to agree. We don’t have to like everyone else, we only have to understand and accept them.

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      1. Amanda I love this comment. Live, and let live should definitely be everyone’s mantra. So many people don’t or wont tolerate differences. I remember a photo once of two female friends on a beach. One wore a burka, the other a bikini. I loved that.

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      2. That photo is great. You should post about that, Chris. It is important that we remember we can still be friends and disagree completely about certain matters. Wiping someone’s friendship because they have different cultural values seems ludicrous when you think of how many difference cultures and individuals we have in the world. Of course we are going to differ in opinions/preferences.

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      3. I may do a google search one day and see if the photo is around. I think it was in a newspaper article so I maybe able to find it. I often think about it when people are saying burkas should be banned in our country. I get shot down rapidly when at such times I speak up for tolerance, and in defence of people’s right to dress as they please. I would hate to see Australia lose its tolerance.

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      4. It is so sad that this topics have become so divisive. Such a shame that tabloid media gives attention to the squeaky wheels. Tragic that our heady days of multiculturalism are over. Some of us remember. The longer the divisive talk continues, the wider the divide gets.

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  2. This made me think: if I had to write a proverb it would be on the following lines:
    Undertaking each journey has as big a role,
    In living a life, as does reaching its goal.
    I like it. I think I’ll keep it!

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    1. Oooh. I like it, Colonialist. As another adage goes, it is not just the destination, it is the journey. It is indeed true. We devote a lot of time getting and visualizing the reaching of goals, that we forget the learning, enjoyment and frustrations that go into reaching that place. That is life. If our ultimate destination is death, why not focus on the journey of life. Life is the journey we are on all.

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      1. Indeed; some people focus so much on the hoped-for destination that they entirely lose the enjoyment of the here-and-now. My late father-in-law was putting heart and soul into planning his retirement. He didn’t get there.

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    1. It reminds me of the folks in your book, “Lady By the River,” Yvette. They displayed the greatest perserverance and resilience in the challenges of life. They rose and grew strong in the broken places.

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      1. Thanks for saying for saying that! You made me smile – and I plan on doing a week promo for the book in April and I will email you this week – I have a question for ya

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  5. It is terrible what happened this week. Anything can happen anywhere, anytime. The least we can do is take care of each other and look out for ourselves.

    I like the theme of showing courage in the face of adversity. Courage is something that comes from within us, and agree with the quote by the Dalai Lama. In difficult times we often feel fear which could stem from uncertainty or shock from unfamiliarity, especially in the instance where we feel trust is broken or we have take things for granted. It is these times where courage can take time to build – and this segways into Mary Anne Radmacher’s quote. Courage need not be an act that screams look at me. In fact not at all but true courage is something that is selfless and we give courage not expecting anything in return.

    I think we’ll all be broken at some point in our lives, be it something that affects us directly or indirectly – and it could be a time of our lives when we see things differently for the first time.

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    1. Interesting thought, Mabel. That we all can reach a point of breaking at some stage in the journey of life. And dove-tailing from that is that the breaking point can be a time for reflection and change to a different attitude or perspective. The break comes because something reached boiling point, and had to give, the pressure spills over is impossible to re-form in exactly the same way as before. Can we as the final quote suggests, grow strong in those broken places? It takes courage. Tremendous courage. And for some determination to keep persisting when the damage is deep. So a new way, method attitude, perspective might be essential to move things forward. It takes courage to follow a new path. Some of us have it, and some take time to build it, whilst others might never ever develop it. Once again it seems like what we see depends on how we look at it. There will always be obstacles and challenges, and if courage is lacking, are we merely building walls for ourselves?

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      1. I think with broken pieces, sometimes our lives would have changed forever and we have to learn to live with that. That certainly takes courage. I guess if courage is lacking, maybe we proceed with fear in order to find that courage.

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  6. Amanda, I want to say so many things, being a half kiwi and having most of my family living there, but each time i try the words seem useless. My thoughts are with New Zealand as a nation.
    It is good to draw on proverbs, sayings and quotes, but we must stay aware of those trivial memes that haunt the net, with their 2 cent philosophy that sounds fine on first read, but like cheap clothes does not stand up to s good wash. For words to have meaning they must stand the test of time, they must consider the wider picture and not just a chosen fleeting emotion or idea. Strong words stand for ever, but the airways are full of such garbage nowadays being passed off as wisdom and being nothing more that the fleeting thoughts of someone interested in nothing more than collecting a few ‘likes’.
    I particularly like the quote about strength, I have seen this in many forms, but it is true, we grow from the adversity we experience in life. Without adversity we can never know who we really are, and right now we are seeing a strong and defiant New Zealand rejecting the notions of this idiot with a gun. That is strength. That is courage.

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    1. Thank you, Gavin. It is indeed a sad time for New Zealand, and Kiwis, but I am so happy to see that Jacinda is springing into action already, today. No dilly-dallying and talking about gun control via committees. She is doing! Well at this point she appears to, anyway. Acting sooner prevents any time for the gun toting lobby to gather support against any controlling legislation. Aussies I think took too long to do that and now recently there has been taught about wanting to pull back on controls for automatic weapons for the farmers. If one positive thing comes out of the NZ tragedy, it is that those wanting gun control restrictions lifted here, will be pushed away.
      Thank you also for reminding me that words have power and that strong words stand forever. I hope I haven’t posted any of those self-help ‘fleeting thoughts’ memes or absolutism, that do not inspire anyone and are a touch ho-hum. I would hate Sunday Sayings to become a vehicle for likes and nothing more. The discussion and comments are what is important to me, not the likes. In fact, the conversations I have here with people are often so interesting that one blogger and I are in the process ( a lengthy one, mind you), of compiling a book on sayings, but with the discussion element included. You must call me out if I post anything that you consider, “garbage” – I am assigning you as Sunday Sayings Watchdog! The quotes and proverbs I chose are ones that speak to me, not just anything that grabs my fancy.
      At times of tragedy, words can not dispel the intensity of emotion. Emotions must be allowed and embraced, so that the healing process can eventually start. No one can truly feel the extent of another person’s pain or suffering. Most people give out, what they feel they ought to say, that is: polite platitudes, and then return quickly to their daily routine, but some do empathize and try to help ease the suffering as best they can. Courage comes in many forms.

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      1. Amanda,
        firstly, sorry for taking so long to get back to you. I had so many comments etc coming through some disappeared off the bottom. I have found them now!
        I have to point out I was not tarring you with the pointless meme comments! It’s one of my bugbears at the moment along with fake news, not that they exist, but that people I know and like often just pass these things around because of how they look on the outside. The internet can be a great tool for good, but is also full of so much crap it’s unbelievable. My opinion of my fellow man has been waning recently.
        Jacinda seems to be moving swiftly, and she will upset a few people, but the nation is in shock and it needs firm action. Sometimes you need to know someone is in control. As an Englishman I wish had this feeling at home right now, but for different reasons obviously. I am feeling galvanised to the point of starting to get more politically minded, it’s how I deal with it that I am unsure. But I have some ideas. Extremism is one issue as is the state of the planet and our frivolous use of plastics to name one problem. I have a second blog site I plan to turn to such matters soon, so may be coming to you for some of your opinions too! Keep doing what you are doing Amanda, you fihht the good fight!

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      2. Thank you Gavin. That is reassuring. No worries with the delay in responding. It sounds like you are popular and rightly so. You can build on that if you go into politics. Be sure to let me kniw when your blog is ready. The last year or so has been very unsettled politically for both our countries. Extremism and plastics are issues to break your teeth on. Brexit is a bit of a Trojan. Sounded good to some but it is blowing up to a full catastrophe with no clear way out.
        But politics does get messy. My cousin served in NZ regional council for 25 years and copped lots of personal abuse. Are you ready for that?

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  7. I love all these quotes and I had a lot to say about what happened in NZ as it has broken my heart. There are no “safe” places anymore. I wrote a huge paragraph on my thoughts and took it off. I grieve for those who are left to deal. I’ll leave it at that for this morning. Have a wonderfilled week ahead. Giant hugs.

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    1. True Marlene. There is no shangri la in this world anymore. There is unpredictability and mayhem a possibility. But we must remember it is not a Probability! Otherwise the fearmongers have won.

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  8. What happened in New Zealand is horrifying and unimaginable. What has impressed me most in the wake of this tragedy is the firm but compassionate leadership of Jacinda Adern. (Almost enough to make me want to move to NZ.) Also to see the resolve of most Kiwis to emphasise that this is not who they are. (And it’s not. We grew this particular piece of terror.)

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    1. Absolutely, Heather. Jacinda is a leader to admire and listen to. We seem to lack that particular quality in our group at the moment. Someone who is the voice of reason, but also of empathy, sensitivity and strength. I always liked her even before she was elected. May we never see the likes of this sort of terrorist again.

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  9. Forestwood: I tried to post a comment on Sunday Sayings about Jacinda Ardern and her courage to stop the sale of assault weapons in New Zealand. I know that Australia put a stop to the sale of these weapons in 1996 and there has been no incidents since then. All i can say is that I wish we here in the US had more women in our government with the stamina that she has and I praise her for her courage to do what she does. Thanks for the work hat you are doing for these emails Steve Zimmett
    ________________________________

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    1. Thank you, Steve. I am not sure why you weren’t able to post your previous comment? But I do see it now. You are right, we have not had a mass shooting since the gun control measures. There is sporadic talk about winding back gun laws but hopefully this incident will put those voices to bed. That is a positive that we can take from it. I doubt that gun control is possible in the US. It is a deep part of the psyche of so many Americans, and to broach that subject with them incites violent abuse. I have experienced that several times.

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    1. Comments are moderated but sometimes logging into other wordpress sites causes difficulties. I have had that problem. But I see you now 🙂

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