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Happiness requires that one be courageous. It is easy to be miserable, any coward can do that, it needs no talents, no guts, any impotent person can do it. But to be Happy needs guts, courage — courage to gamble, courage to risk, courage to go into the unknown. So only a very few courageous people attain to Happiness, because only a few people risk all for it.
People are so cowardly that they don’t even risk their misery for Happiness. They cling to misery. Out of fear they cling to anything, even misery will do; they have to cling to something. They don’t allow the misery to go: even if there are opportunities to drop it, they don’t drop it. They find a thousand and one excuses not to. Even if there are occasions when Happiness, is possible, it knocks on the door, they escape and hide.
To me, courage is one of the greatest character towards journey of unknown. Meditation is art of being courageous! Meditation is nothing but courage to move into unknown, into the uncharted, the unfamiliar…
Love
Suresh
I am not that couragoues yet! for small small things in life I get dpressed so fast, I had bad hair day today and my mood is completly screwed up! but when I read your blog i laughed at my stupidity! I always come and read your psots whenve i feel down and out
thanks Sureesh
Suresh, you mispelled “Photography” in your picture, but don’t let that ruin your happiness. How about trying a Helvetica font while you’re at it? =)
Thanks Badkarma! I have corrected it!
Nice thoughts, Suresh! Your post reminds me of the Boxing Champion Muhammed Ali’s wise words: “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
I wish I had your talent Suresh. You truley are a master of words and photo
Thanks Joseph, But I truly believe you take great photos!
My friend Sudhee had told me a story many years ago… (Since this is from memory I just remember the gist at the risk of diluting/distorting)
Two friends had been away for many years, and after a long time they happened to meet. One of the friends was really really well off, very prosperous and happy. Other friend was down and out, very depressed. After conversation and understanding each other’s situations, first guy held out to him a handful of pebbles and said “can you guess how many pebbles are in my hand”. This guy said “I dont know” Friend said “just make a guess, just a rough estimate”. This guy replied “I have no idea, what if I’m wrong” and he simply refused to guess.
Then the first friend said “if you can’t take such a small risk, sorry I just cant help you” and got into his car and went on his way.
I really hope that I could have the courage as you do! Well, I will take my chance to make it in my life! Thanks!
suresh tell me,does self-trust or self-confidence leads to courage and can a person face his problems and fears without self-trust or self-confidence?
no aditya, self trust and self confidence is more of Mind centric activity. True courage and confidence comes from deep acceptance of things and awareness. in other words if mind is a disease you cannot cure your disease by mind.!
In a state of awareness all you do is to accept things and move forward. Awareness has alchemic effect on nature of events and things.
suresh i think u didnt got my question properly.my question is that by believing in ourselves will lead us to courage and one can become courageous by not believing in himself ?
NO Aditya I got your question.
believing and non-believing is part of the same coin. both are by products of mind. in other words thinking positive and thinking negative are also two sides of same coin.
there is nothing like courage or cowardness. it is a state of mind. at the deepest acceptance of life you just respond to situations as it arises.
What i am trying to say is drop all this idea about being courageous, just be natural and respond to life as it comes. your response may be courageous or of negative , it doesn’t matter , live this moment and every response is going to aid your progress.
also tell me suresh that if there is any relation between courage and self-trust?
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@aditya
As defined by dictionary.com:
courage: the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear;
Courage is a quality of the mind – an aspect of the mind. Like being tall. Trying to become courageous would be like a kid trying to become tall. He is shorter than some and taller than other friends. But if he were to try to “be tall” what would he really do about it? The reality is that he is as tall as he currently is. He might wear a high heeled shoe and gain a few inches. And I feel positive thinking is pretty much a similar concept, one cannot aspire to be courageous – one just is and unlike the height analogy, there is even no absolute measurement to it.
Of course by learning swimming or playing basketball a kid can become taller – he just becomes, he cannot “tall himself”.
Wrt physical height a kid may stop growing at a certain age in adulthood. Whereas wrt learning and being more courageous, the same thing may happen to a person without meditation
——
confidence: belief in oneself and one’s powers or abilities; self-confidence; self-reliance; assurance:
Confidence is about believing in one-self. I’m confident I can do something and that involves hope of a positive outcome. I’m confident that I can pass the exam if I study hard. If I am worried about failing, then I have to counter them with positve thoughts about being confident. I need to convince myself that I can pass. My idea of confidence is so much about an expected outcome!
And I study hard but the questions are different than what I was prepared for, and I fail. Then there is so much of disappointment because of my confidence. And if I pass with flying colors, my confidence becomes reinforced – more stronger than before because I am now convinced how right I was being in confident about myself. See how the confidence and self-trust keeps changing depending on time and circumstances. (Exam was just an example but in certain circumstances confidence can get broken, self-trust can get shattered)
But these pages are talking about something beyond beliefs, expected outcomes and changing circumstances. Something that is unbreakable and timeless
Maybe in the exam example – an alternative possibility of acceptance would be to just completely enjoy preparing for the exam 8)
There is a related article written by Jawaharlal Nehru in “Glimpses of World History”, which I thought would be apt if recollected here: ‘ And here, I shall take you to the fascinating story as told by Herodotus. Astrabanus, was the uncle of Xerxes. He thought there was danger to the Persian army going to (invade) Greece, and he tried to induce his nephew Xerxes not to war against Greece. Herodotus tells us that Xerxes answered him as follows: “There is reason in what you say, but you ought not to see danger everywhere or to reckon every risk. If whatever comes up you are going to weigh everything alike, you will never do anything. It is better to be always an optimist and to suffer half the amount of evil, than always to be full of gloomy anticipations and never suffer at all. If you attack every proposal made without showing us the right course to follow, you will come to grief as much as those whom you oppose. The scales are evenly balanced. How can a human being know certainly which way they will incline?. He cannot. But success generally attends those who wish to act; and not those who are timid and balance everything. You see the great power which Persia has attained. If my predecessors on the throne had held your views, or without holding them, had had counsellors like you, you would never have seen our kingdom become so great. It is by taking risks that they made us what we are. Great things are acheived by Great Dangers” ‘ – This, way back in 500 B.C.
Interesting. My father passed away from Alzheimer’s and COPD after a long battle. I was his at times primary and other times secondary caretaker.
My Mother, whom I currently caretake, has had 2 coronaries. She lives with me out of medical necessity: she has stents and pacemakers inserted in her chest. My brother is twice divorced. After each divorce I wound up inheriting a dog.
5 years ago I had to vascular surgery myself.
Most recently and 3 months of thinking about it, I worked up the guts to ask a female friend for a date. She said no thanks. I haven’t had a yes answer in nearly a decade. I’m over 45 now.
I’m sort of wondering about my Karma at this point in life. Life can be curious.
Risk taking? Hey, risk seems to seek me out.
Greetings!
Longtime back I was here…but lost track….now suddenly while googling up for some name….once again landed here.am so glad to see these images and words once again.
Cheers,bookmarking right away:)
Autre