Courage

"Courage is like -- it's a habitus, a habit, a virtue: You get it by courageous acts.  It's like you learn to swim by swimming.  You learn courage by couraging." Mary Daly

Courage is such an important quality to develop in life.  It includes compassion because true courage requires that we say 'no' to people when it is in our best interest.  True courage means we choose our own path rather than pleasing others.  It takes courage to do this because belonging is such a primal need that ancient tribes used it to punish people, and punish it did --- as exclusion from the tribe meant certain death.  But, it does not mean our death any more, and we must stand in our own truth and speak up for ourselves, rather than relinquishing to others.  As caregivers we will have people who will strongly oppose whatever action we take -- of that we can be sure.  Since we cannot possibly please all of them, let us please ourselves.  Let us make our decisions with integrity, with an eye for what is best for all people involved, and then let us not allow others to dissuade us.