Mark Twain has said “Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting in spite of it.” This adage instantly dwelled on my mind when I learnt the news about the shooting of a 14 year old Pakistani girl, Malala Yousafzai, by Taliban extremist last Tuesday which ignited sparks of international condemnation. She is a girl with exceptional qualities who has vision even beyond her years, constantly promoting education for girls which is denied by the Taliban regime. I wonder how come a little schoolgirl of her age (since she was 11) spoke up for the rights of children, of the importance of education for girls in the midst of the dangers and life-threatening risk posed by the religious extremists. Is she not having fear at all? Then from her blog, I read that despite her mounting fears of the regime, she stood her ground for what she believed in. "I had a terrible dream yesterday with military helicopters and the Taliban. I have had such dreams since the launch of the military operation in Swat. I was afraid going to school because the Taliban had issued an edict banning all girls from attending schools,” she wrote in one post titled “I Am Afraid.” Yet, she refused to cower. She chose to act in spite of her fear. She knew her voice was important, a single voice that echoed the cries of thousands of little girls who were robbed of their only single opportunity for dreams and better future. That’s what I call courage.
Each time we stand up for what we believe in, or act to improve the lot of others, or fight against injustice and oppression despite our fears, we send forth a tiny ripple of hope. It is this hope that keeps the light shine on to illuminate the human realm. Any single voice counts. A single ripple joint by another, then multiplied by others can build up a current which then has the power to sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression, injustice and resistance. It is through countless acts of courage and belief, the human existence is preserved and flourished into a civilized world.
Each of us has our own fears. Often, we are afraid to speak our mind and thus stay silent, because we are worried if other people might not agree with us. Often, we choose to ignore injustices around us because we feel it is not our business. We fear of the conflicting views if we do so because we think we are comfortable to avoid it, to stay in our own comfortable zone. Surely, conflict is unpleasant. But NOT speaking your mind and stand up for an ideal you believe in, or supporting those who work to make life better for others or making a stand for an injustice you see around you, can lead to much worse unpleasantness and bad outcomes. It takes courage to speak up your mind and make a stand. The same goes to the act of defying those who take the easy ways out, which only leads to more corruption and red tape in our social systems. It is hard to do but we have to try at least contributing in sending forth a tiny ripple of our own. A single voice counts. It can send sparks of ripples joint by others that combined, having the power to sweep down the mightiest walls.
Each time we stand up for what we believe in, or act to improve the lot of others, or fight against injustice and oppression despite our fears, we send forth a tiny ripple of hope. It is this hope that keeps the light shine on to illuminate the human realm. Any single voice counts. A single ripple joint by another, then multiplied by others can build up a current which then has the power to sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression, injustice and resistance. It is through countless acts of courage and belief, the human existence is preserved and flourished into a civilized world.
Each of us has our own fears. Often, we are afraid to speak our mind and thus stay silent, because we are worried if other people might not agree with us. Often, we choose to ignore injustices around us because we feel it is not our business. We fear of the conflicting views if we do so because we think we are comfortable to avoid it, to stay in our own comfortable zone. Surely, conflict is unpleasant. But NOT speaking your mind and stand up for an ideal you believe in, or supporting those who work to make life better for others or making a stand for an injustice you see around you, can lead to much worse unpleasantness and bad outcomes. It takes courage to speak up your mind and make a stand. The same goes to the act of defying those who take the easy ways out, which only leads to more corruption and red tape in our social systems. It is hard to do but we have to try at least contributing in sending forth a tiny ripple of our own. A single voice counts. It can send sparks of ripples joint by others that combined, having the power to sweep down the mightiest walls.
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