Out
of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
(W E Henley)
Guts
It takes a lot of
courage to
be bold.
Walking
alone without any
support is not easy; continuing when everyone else has gone is difficult.
People like to remain with the known, the familiar, the orthodox, the safe - it
is easy to
follow somebody else.
Being a follower means that you do not have to think or take
responsibility.
It requires no courage whatsoever.
Responsible
Taking responsibility for your life is one of the key themes in
taoism.
You cease to do what others do; you stop performing routine actions and look
around instead.
Meditation involves the growing awareness of the immediate, of the real - the
seeing of what is rather than what you are told to see.
As your awareness grows, there comes an
urge to live a deliberate life.
Without aggression
A
courageous person is not aggressive - they do not force anything on anybody
else.
They are strong within themselves and willing to be
patient.
Aggression is a kind of
forcing.
Boldness is a quiet kind of strength.
It overcomes fear and accepts consequence, it advocates action without rashness
or undue
emotion.
There is a quiet confidence to be found in somebody bold.
Perverse
The
Tao Te Ching warns about being
deliberately awkward or perverse, being different without cause.
Doing things for attention or effect is not a sign of courage.
If
your actions lead you away from others, so be it.
However, if you look to wander away, ask yourself why?
Are you reacting to others or to your own need to be different or
special?
It is easier to serve the ego than find
accord with
tao.
Daring to be yourself
Not everyone will understand what you do and why you choose to do it.
Many people will consider you a fool and disparage you.
Do not be concerned.
Being yourself requires courage and the price can be very high indeed.
Attention
If
you seek attention, you will find it.
But attention-seeking is less about courage than insecurity.
A person who dresses or acts to court attention is not bold; they are
lonely.
They want to be noticed.
Their
performance is intended to seduce you
into adopting the role of audience.
Faith
Being bold is about daring to do.
It involves a belief in the
righteousness of your actions, and
having the courage to act.
Our school invites every student to be brave and strong, and when you reach the
advanced syllabus you will be asked to
walk alone.
Page created 14 March 2000