Reflections on Courage
Today I have been pondering the concept of courage and what that actually means. Why am I thinking about it? Well as a member of the Council of Deans of Nutrition and Dietetics we did some research interviewing movers and shakers in the field; courage emerged as one of the 16 critical capabilities for members of the profession. You can read the report at the Council’s website here or in good academic fashion you can check out the paper we wrote at the journal Nutrition & Dietetics.
If you remember The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy embarked on her journey to see the Wizard who would be able to get her home. On the way she met up with a scarecrow - who needed a brain; a tin man who was after a heart and a cowardly lion who yearned for courage. The journey is full of trials which they overcome mainly due to the Scarecrow’s good sense, the Tinman’s kindness and the Lion’s bravery. The original book by L. Frank Baum The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published in 1900 and is thought to be an early feminist work. Dorothy being of the first feminist heroes of children’s literature and the word created by Baum largely matriarchal. The message of course is that courage is often not recognised until it is tested. But it is often not tested if you don’t start on the journey.
FIVE EVERYDAY ACTS OF COURAGE
Speaking up against -isms. When you see it, hear it, experience it; name it and exclaim it whether it is racism, ageism, sexism, ableism. They are rife and institutionalised - so much so that we don’t even question it. Small acts of rebellion can lead to social change. I often question why somebody needs to know my birthdate or my gender. If its a form I try to put not applicable. I am going to channel John Farnham’s The Voice here (a bit cringy perhaps but its such a fabulous song) “ You’re the voice, try and understand it, make a noise and make it clear. We’re not going to sit in silence, we’re not going to live in fear”.
Be honest with yourself. This can be a tough one but it takes courage to own who you are and your feelings and to be honest about them. This is about being yourself, not trying to be a facsimile of what others want or expect you to be.
Move outside of your comfort zone. Dorothy was no longer in Kansas she veered off course and had to seek out assistance and in doing so discovered things about herself she never knew. Everybody’s zone is different, for some its tucked in tight around them and for whatever reason (anxiety, fear, medical condition) moving out of the zone may be as complex as leaving the house. For others it is more expansive. Comfort zones are both physical and a mindset.
Being still in a busy world. This one might seem a bit odd but we are overwhelmed with “noise”, information overload from 24 hour news streams and social media, FOMO, things to do, places to go, people to find. Get up, go to work, do the shopping, feed the family … repeat. It takes courage to not buy in to the social media hype - courage could be not putting that filter on the photo you have just posted or getting off socials all together. It also takes courage to say STOP even briefly in a day. To still your mind, still you body and just BE.
Learn from “failure”. I have put quotation marks around the world failure because really there are none just learning moments. Things never go to plan or completely to plan. The trick is to learn from these, to turn failure into growth. Easier said that done, but hey it is aspirational!
So the final word is that we all have kernels of courage, sometimes we exercise that courage simply by taking the first step on a journey. Sometimes that courage is internal never noticed by the outside world. Other times courage is a badge or a cloak that is demonstrated publicly. Courage is not just grand gestures like jumping out of a plane. Courage is a mindset.