BE BRAVE: Bravery Is The Best Way To Stem Abuse, Harassment And Injustice.

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By Zile Singh

Ambassador(Retd.)

“In real life,  a time should come when,  standing  before a mirror, we can ask ourselves: Why having been endowed with the  brave heart of a lion, do we live like a mouse?  We should examine as to why we should waste so much of our time at keeping ourselves away from acting great at an opportune moment.  Why should we agree to play small?  Maybe, we feel weak and  fearful.   The fact of the matter is that   “The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress and grows brave by reflection.”  – Thomas Paine

Bravery is a positive trait.  It is a state of mind and can be applied to a number of instances in the day to day life.  Bravery can be physical, moral and psychological.  Physical bravery implies to acting  or doing something in spite of possible harm that can occur to one’s body.  There are heroic stories of battles and wars when one acts  face to face with death.  Moral bravery implies acting or doing something which can enhance your belief to be good and true against the social disapproval.  This is to stand against the age-old illogical  traditions and superstitions and the Psychological bravery deals with acting against one’s own natural desires, inclinations and inner inhibitions like overcoming  addictions, hiding the feelings of love, irrational anxieties and unfounded fears. Psychological bravery  is something that inculcates in us a sense of self-belief to overcome the insurmountable. Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Indian Nation said, “A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.”  Thus, only the brave people live in love and  freedom whereas   cowards  languish in slavery.   History is replete with heroic deeds by ordinary human beings.

One of the “ten most famous battles” ( Battle of Saragarhi – 1897) of the world is when just 21 Sikh soldiers of the 4th Battalion of the Sikh Regiment part of the British Indian Army fought over  ten thousand of Pathans in the North Western Frontier Province ( now Pakistan).  All 21 Sikh soldiers died in the battle as they fought to the last man and last bullet; but they did not yield even an inch of ground that they were defending.  On learning of this glorious, gallant and unparalleled action, members of both houses of the British Parliament rose in unison to pay homage to these great Indian soldiers.  Each of the 21 soldiers was posthumously awarded the Indian Order of Merit, the highest British gallantry award then given to Indians (equivalent to the Victoria Cross awarded to the British ). This death-or-glory tale is recorded in the collection of list of “ 8 stories of collective bravery in the history of mankind” assembled by UNESCO ( United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)

Malala, a brave teenager girl from Pakistan spoke out publicly against the Taliban’s prohibition on the education of girls.  She gained global attention when she survived an assassination attempt at age 15.  She was jointly  awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace with Kailash Satyarthi of India for their efforts to fight for the children’s rights.

On April 7th 2017, when two men were arguing in the Churchill LRT station, Edmonton, a punch was thrown and  one of them   fell unconscious onto the tracks.  Just then an approaching train signaled its Bell and Christopher Sampson  leapt into action and lifted the unconscious man to safety.  Sampson received a bravery award from the Royal Canadian Humane Association on November 10, 2017.

The decision of His Royal Highness Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle, an Actress of the United States to marry  is an example of  the rarest  courage and  bravery.  Their engagement took place in November 2017  in London.  The marriage will be solemnized on May 19th  this year.  This is an example of breaking all man-made barriers erected by the society against humanity on different grounds.  A gap between the royalty and a commoner and also between two races and nationalities has been  bridged.

All the mortals face the unfortunate reality that one day they will die, regardless of whether they  lived bravely or as  cowards.  In that case, why not live with bravery and courage than to live cowardly.   A famous quote by Jeannette Walls says, “ That was the thing to remember about all monsters, they love to frighten people, but the minute you stare them down, they turn tail and run.”  A deep meditative experience tells :  “Then, why not cross the river bravely, conquer all your fears and break all the divisions created by  mankind and know the deathless ground of life.”

To be brave, one must have clarity of thought, self-belief and pragmatism.

May every heart be kind,  mind fierce and  spirit brave !

Zile Singh is a former Ambassador(Retd.) of India and a Vipassana Meditator. He can be reached at [email protected] .