When I think of courage, I think of Rosa Parks.
In December, August, 1955, Rosa Parks refused the bus driver's order to give up her seat and to go and sit in the ''coloured'' section of the bus. This act of defiance by Rosa Parks, together with the Montgomery Bus Boycott, became important symbols for the Civil Rights Movement in the USA.
(This is a rendition in graphite that I did from a photo I found in photo book.)
In my view, she was a very courageous woman, especially as in those days ''uppity niggers'' (sorry, but that was a common colloquial term in those days and NOT my opinion) often ended up hanging like strange fruit from the poplar trees.
Some years ago I found myself sitting on the Montgomery Courthouse (Alabama, USA) steps, barely able to breathe due to a suffocating heat that seemed hell bent of squeezing every last drop of fluid from my body.
It seemed oddly still for being in the middle of the day, but I guess the Montgomery towns people were much smarter than me,...they stayed out of the midday sun. Across the courthouse stood a row of magnificent flowering Magnolia trees, the sky was sparkling blue, the courthouse brilliant white, and as I struggled to breathe, I watched waves of heat off the black, melting, asphalt slowly slithering their way toward heaven.
Echoes of events from days gone by were buzzing in my head like flies on an old hamburger wrapper.
I thought of Rosa Parks, of her indomitable courage and tenacity, of her sitting alone on the bus while surrounded by anger, hostility, racism, and people who viewed her as barely human.
I wondered if I possessed even a scintilla of her courage to stand up for my convictions and beliefs.
Some say that: ''Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.'' (Franklin D. Roosevelt)
To conclude that something is that important that one is willing to face one's fears associated with that, I guess necessitates knowing what that 'that' is.
How many of us really know what we are willing to fight for, so much so that we are willing to put up with the consequences that may come from doing so?
And, are we willing to do so not only for ourselves and those that are important to us, but also for others?
Most of us will fight for fairness, because we know that fairness is important for social cohesion and collaboration. (Even a four year old child has a concept of fairness and will very quickly point out to us if we are being unfair, but,.... how, and who decides what is fair and what is not?)
Is fair the same as equal? When we get what we think/believe we deserve, is that fairness?
The expectations we have of what we believe we deserve, can they be trusted?
Most of us probably have an idea of what we think our human rights are, but just in case, let me refresh:
''Human rights are inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights without discrimination.''
Some say that we get what we deserve, but is it really so?
Did the baby born with Spina bifida, congenital heart disorder, leukemia, or any other horrid disease deserve its illness?
Did the many people born with genetically inherited mental health issues deserve their illnesses?
Did the many children born into poverty and starvation deserve it?
For those of us fortunate enough to have been around for awhile, most of us would probably agree that life is not fair, nor do we always get what we expect or believe that we deserve, and with 1% of us having more of everything than the rest of the 99%, neither is it equal......question is.... do we want to play with our phones or do we want to get up, stand up, stand up for all humans rights?
''The rights of every man [human being] is diminished when the rights of one man[human being] are threatened.''
(John F. Kennedy)
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