COURAGE MONTH: DAY 28: “There are no brave men and cowardly men in the world, my son. There are only brave men. To be born, to live, to die—that takes courage enough in itself, and more than enough. We are all brave men and we are all afraid, and what the world calls a brave man, he too is brave and afraid like all rest of us. Only he is brave for five minutes longer.”― Alistair MacLean
I love this quote because it states something I believe strongly in different words. Everyone is brave…all of us. Life requires courage of all types.
And those we call heroes are more persistent, even when they are brave only 5 minutes longer than the rest of us.
I recently read accounts from survivors of 9/11 who are being interviewed for the 20th anniversary of that event. They were brave for more than 5 minutes longer. Most of them watched people dying all around them and had to withstand their own fear to help others. Incredible stories, and they made me cry.
So many people survive traumatic life situations. I also read some interviews of people participating in the Paralympics being held in Japan right now. Their stories of overcoming injuries and their bravery are intense and inspiring.
Some heroes are everyday people who find themselves in extraordinary life situations and act bravely. Others act bravely for long periods of time to overcome trauma. We are all here doing life and we never know whose story we are going to impact and how that works. Being in recovery gives us the opportunity to walk with heroes and to be them as well. Life requires courage. We must never, ever give up.
Dolphin Hug 