By MIKE WILEY
Publisher, Hoodview News
This year, as we celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday, it is important for us to restate and reaffirm the principles that have made this nation free and prosperous.
Winston Churchill said, “Courage is rightly esteemed the first of virtues because, as has been said, it is the virtue which guarantees all others.”
One commenter said about Churchill’s quote, “Courage is not merely the absence of fear but rather the conscious choice to act in the face of fear, pushing past boundaries and enabling individuals to reach their full potential. It is through courage that we challenge the status quo, pursue our dreams, and stand up for our beliefs.”
We all have convictions
We all have convictions, things in which we believe. We often mistakenly believe that virtue is all about simply holding the right convictions. We may firmly believe in God and that all people are ultimately accountable to Him. We may firmly believe in moral values, in the genius of the Constitution, the rights and dignity of the individual, free enterprise, small government, the consent of the governed, and equal justice under the law.
However, merely holding the right convictions is not nearly enough. Convictions without the courage to defend them are like a blimp without air or a body without a skeleton. They merely lay inert on the ground, a useless heap.
The truth is, rights written on a piece of paper mean nothing without the will to defend them. They must constantly be defended, or they will surely, and quickly, be lost. Tyranny never sleeps. Therefore, the price of liberty is eternal vigilance.
However, many today want to enjoy all the benefits and advantages of free enterprise, but they don’t want to do anything to defend it. They want to enjoy all the benefits and advantages of freedom of worship, the right to peaceably assemble, to speak freely without fear of government persecution, but they don’t want to risk anything to defend these principles.
To paraphrase Theodore Roosevelt, “The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena, fighting the battles that benefit everyone.” However, too often today, too many privately say to those in the arena, “We’re with you, we wish you the best,” while themselves remaining unidentified, uninvolved, uninvested.
That strategy only works for so long. If tyranny is not opposed, it eventually comes for everyone. All that is required for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.
Wisdom goes with true courage
Of course, wisdom is always required, even when acting with courage. Heedlessly charging the guns is not courage, it is foolishness. One writer said of Churchill’s courage that it was “not heedless, reckless, momentary animal courage, but the self-disciplined, durable mental courage knowing all the dangers and still holding course.” True courage is not mindless. It is rational and discrete, but it is also determined when the times call for it.
If only they werenít so mean
People say they would be willing to speak out if only the other side wasn’t so mean. The reality is that the “other side” has always been “mean.” Like Goliath challenging the Israelites, they have always sought to intimidate by fear. That’s part of the strategy — to make you fear that there’s nothing to which they wouldn’t stoop. In ancient times, it was always the cruel, merciless barbarian hordes that raved and threatened in order to instill fear into the good and the civilized.
Good people today also fear today’s “barbarians” who they imagine respect neither truth, morals, decency, or virtue. They fear that if they speak out or get involved, they may be canceled, fired, attacked. Will that happen? In all reality, probably not.
If we are to live life fully, we must take some risks. Confronting dangerous ideas in order to protect our nation, state, and community may be one of those risks we are called on to take.
We may not be the type of person to run for office. But, we can make sure we vote and that the people around us also vote. Almost everyone can attend a public meeting, sign up to speak, and courteously share their views. We can help the political candidate or cause of our choice, stuffing envelopes, painting signs. We can write letters and emails to elected officials. It all matters.
Be sure you have your convictions. That’s important. But, also be sure you have the courage to stand up for your convictions, even when it takes more fortitude than you think you have. HVN
Mike Wiley is the publisher of Hoodview News. A different version of this Perspective previously appeared.