Courage

When I was a kid, I thought courage was getting into a fight.

And such other kinds of stupid nonsense.

When I was beginning my teens, I gravitated to kids that, shall we say, tended to be drawn to the dark side. And the kids who were good and did well in class, they were to be picked on and made fun of.

Of course, how wrong I was. It's easier to be drawn to the dark side. Hey, no responsibilities, that's just the way it goes. Sorry about stealing your car, I just wanted to have some fun.

But the kids who are good: Well, they have to stay at home and study. They obey the teachers. They ultimately are taking responsibility for their future and their lives.

When I was a kid, doing bad things, I thought I was cool. Oh, how foolish I was. What is real courage is doing the right thing. I wish I could go back to those kids and tell them how sorry I am.

In writing about this, it gets me to thinking about so-called progressive or liberal politics. We want free health care for everyone in the US, tax businesses for not being green enough, not allow production to meet our energy needs, and give our government employees great retirement packages. And if it doesn't work: "Oh well, too bad". The liberals won't dare say we made a mistake. But hey, if it feels good, that's OK. Whether it's workable or not, who cares. Might it drive the country into bankruptcy, big deal. We want to do what's right.

But the whole part about being responsible is to see what our actions will produce. Whether what we want to do in the long run is truly best for the majority of the people. This is what takes guts. This is what is courage.

To me, the Left is all about me, me and me. What's in it for me.

We have got to step back and say, "What is good for our country?". Yes, not for the world, but for our country. We are here collectively for the betterment of each of our citizens, not for the world. There are people, believe it or not, that want us destroyed. It is their religion that teaches them this.

We have got to get some backbone and stand up for what is right. That is what true courage is all about.