Courage is the wheel of life
“I am a dog chasing ignorance,” said an ugly man who roamed in the streets of Athens barefooted. Yet, the rulers of Athens trembled at the mere name of the men. He was Socrates.
One day, he saw a notice that said Socrates was a criminal. His crime? He had encouraged the son of a trader to study philosophy. The punishment was death. Socrates was 70 years old at the time. He laughed and said, “I have faced life with courage. I will face death also with the same courage.” “It is not a crime to give knowledge. The problem is not how to escape death, but how to save oneself from crime.” Saying this, Socrates drank a cup full of poison. He died but his courage taught others a lesson. Today, nobody remembers the persons who sentenced him to death. But everyone remembers Socrates.
Courage is the Wheel of life. It makes life go forward. Progress can be made only with the help of courage. Many years ago man used to hunt in jungles. He used to live in caves. But man has progressed by means of his courage and hard work, life has become more comfortable. Today, man has measured the depths of the deepest oceans and climbed the highest mountains. Of course, man faced failure several times before he met with success. But he did not give up.
If you don’t have the strength to start a certain job or the courage to face difficulties, how will you shape your future? Many great people, weak in body but strong in mind, have shown the people the right path. They have led the way in removing evil practices in society. All men have two arms. But it takes a strong pair of arms to overthrow powerful rulers. At the root of all this is courage. The brave do not wait for company. They are ready to go ahead alone. They have their conscience and courage with them.
There was a time when nobody knew Mahatma Gandhi. As a young citizen of India, he went to England to study. In those days, an Indian was no better than a dog in the eyes of the white men. One day, Gandhiji bought a train ticket and got into a coach. In the same coach was a white man. He could not bear the thought of having to travel with a black man. He ordered Gandhiji to sit in another coach. Gandhiji refused to budge. People tried to push him out by force. But he clung on to the door.
He was prepared to die, but he was not prepared to accept the insult. It was this kind of courage that made him the Father of the Nation. That is how India got its freedom, through act of courage.
Truth requires great courage. All of us know the story of Raja Harichandra. He possessed great courage to keep the truth. Even though he faced many tragedies, he did not give up the truth. His story was the great impact to the Mahatma Gandhi’s life.
To be honest you have to be very brave. If you have courage, you will always be honest. Courage comes from within. It comes from your own soul. It is your strength. Jesus Christ has said: “Those who carry their own crosses may follow me.”
The history of the Sikhs speaks of the courage of their leaders, Guru Gobind Singh and Banda Bairagi. Guru Gobind Singh’s children were killed in front of his eyes. But he was not deterred
Bairagi was tortured beyond measure, but he did not utter a word of protest or pain.
If you want to get to the other side of the river, you must cross it. Standing on one bank doest not help. In the same way, be brave, be firm. You will be successful in whatever you attempt to do.
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