Bravery

"Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson

When we hear the word bravery an automatic image enters our head. We think of the soldier, who battles through missiles, or the fireman who runs into a burning building to save a life. These both require a form of bravery, no one would argue against that. However this form of bravery I argue falls under the banner of Heroism. Heroism I contend is the condition in which certain individuals are naturally brave. By this I mean a hero will not fear the things that the majority fear. This strand of people are almost addicted to bravery; it is what they do.

     
I however want to talk about another form of bravery, and that is intellectual, or emotional bravery. This at first may appear an anathema, for the intellectual is not seen by society as brave. He is seen as geeky, other-worldly, abstract. Yet it is these people that I will argue are the real heroes within society. Now this is not to say that all intellectuals are brave, that could not be further from the truth. The intellectuals that I am talking about are those that dare to challenge the majority. These thinkers meet with no applause, unlike the soldier returning from war, no thanks when they rescue people. In fact what they often meet is derision. They are laughed at, they are mocked, seen as weak. Yet I ask you reader, which is braver: to fight and gain applause, when you are loved by the many, or to fight for truth, with only yourself as an army ?

    
We only have to look at recent events to see how this bravery can be mocked. In light of the recent 'riots', we have seen that 'human rights' has become a dirty phrase. Now the human rights act may not be heroic, it does not have the extreme edge to support it, but it is brave. It argues that in any circumstance, we as animals if we are to claim civility, deserve certain rights. Now almost  everyone agrees that this is a great idea, when things are going well. However whenever times become hard, civility and human rights become a burden. You will find that when times are tough, people seem to become experts. How many times in the last few weeks have you heard people slagging off 'human rights'? Are these people slagging off human rights experts in the law, are they philosophers ? The great majority are not, they are the herd, jumping on yet another bandwagon. In little to no time, after the bandwagon has been hopped upon, comes the time of 'common sense'. This is the time where things are accepted without reflection. It becomes common knowledge, that the human rights act is holding us back. This conclusion is reached, not by the head, but by the ear.

      
Now this is where the intellectually brave enter, to do a job as unpopular as that of the gravedigger. They stand out from the majority, not because they want to be cool and counter cultural, but because they have by thinking, reached a different conclusion from the herd. They stand in a position where the wind is always beating at their back. These people are truly lonely. Yet they are also brave. They are brave because they are often afraid and yet come through it. They do not choose to be heroes, yet where would we be without them? We would be stuck at the behest of the man with the loudest mouth, or the strongest arms. It is often risky to reach conclusions through thinking. Thinking is often unpopular, just open the nearest history book and you will see Socrates killed, Hypatia Murdered, Galileo imprisoned.  In the sermon on the mount Jesus praises many people, the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (5.3)

• they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. (5:4)
• the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. (5:5)
• they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (5:6)
• the merciful : for they shall obtain mercy. (5:7)
• the pure in heart: for they shall see God. (5:8)
• the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (5:9)
• they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (5:10).

Yet nowhere does Jesus praise the most ridiculed of all groups, the thinkers. The person who wants to reason things out. The man who stands out from the crowd, and says things that are not always comfortable. Ideas should not be separated from practice. A person is not other worldly because he disagrees with you. A person is not acting against common sense, because he actually thinks about a problem. A person is not geeky, because he has dedicated time to learn before he speaks.  So I say blessed be those innovators in thought, for it is they who are truly brave.

We live in an age where we are both attracted and repulsed by aggression. Women are taught to love the bad boy, men are taught to be strong and powerful. Yet when a person follows these lessons we condemn them. We must practice what we preach. If we want people to be intelligent, we should promote it as a value. Yet all too often we make people hide their ideas and intelligence, as if it is something to be ashamed of. No one wants more pedants. However we should not think of a person as a pedant, because he disagrees with you. If an idea is of value to us, we protect it when times are hard as well as smooth.

   
So I ask you reader, next time you read your Darwin, remember how brave he was to have his work published. When you read your Hume, remember he was looked upon as an Infidel. These people were not naturally heroic. Yet they had a courage and a belief, that their ideas mattered, and that in the long run their ideas would help us understand the world around us. We owe these people a debt of gratitude. Perhaps the best way to start paying it back is this. When you hear an idea you disagree with, be it at work, in the pub, in the hairdressers, or from a cab drive, you will turn around, look that person straight in the face,and say 'I do not agree'.

Lloyd Duddridge