It is said that courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to act despite it. Throughout my day, I am sometimes confronted with potential moments of courage, big and small. Some of the small moments of courage are when I witness cowardly acts of racism, sexism, xenophobia, etc. and when I struggle with myself: Do I say anything? Do I do anything? What can I possibly do? What will they say or think of me?
Indeed, I need to act responsibly at all times, but at the very least I should detest the injustice of these types of transgressions in my heart lest my heart becomes accustomed to accepting these ignominies. A further step is to speak out, to say to a friend, peer or colleague that I am neither comfortable with and nor condone such comments. Perhaps, these seemingly small acts of courage could be great because they allow me to re-examine my values and what I really stand for and against. Think about the things that you hear and see, and then think about how you process and respond.