I have been thinking lately about courage. What is it and what does it mean? Does it mean we move through our lives, our relationships, our days – with no fear? Does it mean we stay when we want to go, or leave when we are terrified? Or does it mean we love when we are tired, talk when we want to be silent, apologize (gulp) when we would rather sulk and be right. Love is a courageous battle.
I found this piece as I was avoiding doing something that took more courage than I could find in the moment, when I was searching online for inspiration. It is written by one of my favorite poets, David Whyte, on Oprah’s Lifeclass page. This is one of his “Questions that have no right to go away.”
Can I live a courageous life?
If you look at the root of the word “courage,” it doesn’t mean running under the machine-gun bullets of the enemy, wearing a Sylvester Stallone headband, with glistening biceps and bandoliers of ammunition around one’s neck. The word “courage” comes from the old French word coeur meaning “heart.” So “courage” is the measure of your heartfelt participation in the world.
Human beings are constantly trying to take courageous paths in their lives: in their marriages, in their relationships, in their work and with themselves. But the human way is to hope that there’s a way to take that courageous step—without having one’s heart broken. And it’s my contention that there is no sincere path a human being can take without breaking his or her heart.
There is no marriage, no matter how happy, that won’t at times find you wanting and break your heart. In raising a family, there is no way to be a good mother or father without a child breaking that parental heart. In a good job, a good vocation, if we are sincere about our contribution, our work will always find us wanting at times. In an individual life, if we are sincere about examining our own integrity, we should, if we are really serious, at times, be existentially disappointed with ourselves.
So it can be a lovely, merciful thing to think, “Actually, there is no path I can take without having my heart broken, so why not get on with it and stop wanting these extra-special circumstances which stop me from doing something courageous?”
Read more: 10 Questions That Have No Right to Go Away
–If you have the urge to write poetry, but feel blocked, or if this blog entry inspired you, try my Writers Workshop, 8 weeks to Create, Write and Publish
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