courage to love.

I used to be somewhat unenthusiastic about courage. As an overly enthusiastic person, this is odd. I think I associated courage with what I might call bravery--risk taking for the ask of risk taking--which is fine and dandy, but as I said, I am somewhat unenthusiastic about it. I then came upon a quote, painted on a wall in an art museum that changed my level of excitement about courage (well, along with the fact that Gryffindors are known for their courage):

The word "courage" comes from the Latin word "cor," which meant heart. That's where the courage comes from. It is not an act of bravado. It has nothing to do with ego or adrenaline. It has to do with falling in love and having the courage to give over fully to it.

I had never quite thought of myself as courageous and never thought about where courage comes from. What else could inspire a person to overcome fear--fear that can be so paralyzing, so limiting--but the love in that person's heart?

If I really think about the things that inspire courage in me, they are the things I love most in life: liberation, honesty, human beings, justice... the list goes on, but they all come back to love. Love gives me courage and that courage expresses the love that inspires it. They go hand in hand--we have the courage to love.

--mt