Spontaneous Acts of Courage

Spontaneous Acts of Courage

I’m not sure if you saw the video last week of 17 year old Hailey Morinico who heard her dogs barking in her back yard and went to investigate.  Standing on her garden wall was a full grown bear with a cub, and the bear was swiping out with its paw to try to keep the dogs - who were jumping up and barking - away from its cub. Hailey rushed out, ran up and pushed the bear off the top of the wall, gathered up her dogs and ran back into the house.

Later she said it was only when she got back into the house that she realized it was a bear!

Fortunately, apart from a grazed knee and finger she was unharmed.

We all know just how dangerous bears are, especially when they have cubs with them, but Hailey was just concerned with saving her dogs and acted spontaneously to save them.

Whilst some people may think she was crazy, she showed real courage in the face of danger and prevented her pets from getting hurt.

Often we read about people doing heroic acts of amazing courage – usually on the spur of the moment.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a seamstress on her way home from work on public transport, refused to abide by the city of Montgomery’s law segregating public buses. 

When Mrs. Parks refused to give up her seat for a white passenger, she was arrested. 

Her single act of civil disobedience, supported by a belief in equal treatment for all, was both spontaneous and courageous. She captivated the spirit of a nation that inspired the African-American Civil Rights Movement and the end of segregation in America.

By December of 1956 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Montgomery’s segregation laws unconstitutional and the buses were racially integrated.

In 1996, Mrs. Parks was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton, the highest honor of the executive branch.

What a courageous lady.

Another amazing act of courage you may remember was On April 15, 1989, when thousands of students flocked to Tiananmen Square in China to express their sadness at the death of reformist General Hu Yaobang, and their dissatisfaction at the pace of political change in China. In the weeks that followed, thousands more joined the protest in Beijing and inspired countless movements around the country.

The government’s appeal for compromise was unsuccessful and, when the demonstrations showed little sign of subsiding, the Chinese government decided on another course of action. From the night of June 3 into the early hours of the following day, People’s Liberation Army tanks pushed into the square in an effort to forcibly remove the protestors.

By 6am on June 4, the streets around Tiananmen had been cleared, but not without meeting resistance by one brave man, who obstructed the path of the advancing tanks.I will never forget the image of an unknown man who has become an enduring and symbolic image of the power of one peaceful act in the face of violent oppression.

So although there are so many acts of courage in war and political unrest, many are peaceful acts which in many ways are more heart warming.

You do not have to be a hero to show courage – it’s  doing something in spite of fear. Courage is stepping up to the podium, crossing the finish line, walking through the door, packing your bags, or telling your story regardless of the fact you are shaking in your boots. The focus should not be on reducing fear, but increasing courage.

Remember – “Nothing can dim the light that shines within”