Faith and Courage.

[Ryan Rudolph]

Faith is remaining connected to the infinite by not becoming overly attached to particular expressions of the finite world.

Courage is sacrifice/dedication in the name of a cause. However, the problem is that many people's causes are rooted in cowardice.

One could also suggest that there are different spectrum's of courage that tackle different levels of chaos in reality. For instance: It takes a certain level of courage for young people to stand up to an oppressive regime in the middle-east, but it also takes a different level of courage to seek wisdom and transcend ignorance.

Any comments?

[Bob Michael]

Faith is remaining connected to the infinite by not becoming overly attached to particular expressions of the finite world.

Faith is completely abandoning oneself to the will of the Infinite. And not only in mere words or lip-service, but in our deeds or ACTIONS!

Courage is sacrifice/dedication in the name of a cause. However, the problem is that many people's causes are rooted in cowardice.

Courage is TOTAL sacrifice or dedication to a cause.

One could also suggest that there are different spectrum's of courage that tackle different levels of chaos in reality. For instance: It takes a certain level of courage for young people to stand up to an oppressive regime in the middle-east, but it also takes a different level of courage to seek wisdom and transcend ignorance.

Overcoming ignorance and self-will, or self-centeredness, not only requires courage, it also requires a mind that is capable of seeing through and rising above not only it's own ignorance and self-centeredness but also the ignorance and self-centeredness of the human species everywhere.

[Cory Duchesne]

One could also suggest that there are different spectrum's of courage that tackle different levels of chaos in reality. For instance: It takes a certain level of courage for young people to stand up to an oppressive regime in the middle-east, but it also takes a different level of courage to seek wisdom and transcend ignorance.

Standing up to an oppressive regime involves fighting physical demons outside of you, and the dichotomy is fairly straightforward "us VS. them" values. The opposition, despite being relatively radical, has a clear group consensus, and so again, one resorts to the safety of the herd. Engagement with the physical is always easier, as it's older in our evolution. The courage to face the psychic realm, to journey within and go to battle inwardly is late in our evolution, and there are less safety mechanisms in the brain to deal with it, so instead of the fire-bellied courage young men feel when they gather in a group to go against a physical enemy, one ends up with the "fear and trembling" of a solitary journey. It's the difference between collective courage (pushing beliefs on others) and individual courage (exploring doubts about oneself).

I noticed, too, that because socializing is already anxiety ridden even with a group consensus and shared ethical values... undermining group values and ethics is quite debilitating socially. As an adult, one can easily end up like a socially clumsy baby learning to walk. People protect themselves from deep thinking to prevent the humiliation of struggling like an infant as a sensitive spiritual beginner among callous, foolish "more mature" peers.

[Cory Duchesne]

I should add:

Courage isn't just facing death, because it's just as hard to face life. Courage isn't just living, because it's just as hard to let go and die. Most accurately, courage is a willingness to die, be reborn and live anew many times in your one life.

[Anders Schlander]

I should add:

Courage isn't just facing death, because it's just as hard to face life. Courage isn't just living, because it's just as hard to let go and die. Most accurately, courage is a willingness to die, be reborn and live anew many times in your one life.

If you define a willingness to die and be reborn, to live and be reborn many times, which in effect is just change....what about all those lost opportunities that people pass up because they are risky? cowardice leads to being reborn too, because one is too scared to make a choice one affects life and gives you another form - so basically, there are courageous choices and cowardly choices.....

I'd say courage is the meritorious choice that carries a sacrifice of something one values. Cowardice being the unmeritorious choice that carries a gain of something one values.

However, ultimately, one doesn't really have a choice whether one will be a courageous or cowardly person, If you value wisdom wouldn't you naturally choose to sacrifice attachments? is it then courageous to do so? well, it's the natural thing to do, but still, to the mind that still values those attachments, even the very same person with wisdom that still has those attachments creeping up, it may seem courageous and terrifying sometimes

[Cory Duchesne]

I should add:

Courage isn't just facing death, because it's just as hard to face life. Courage isn't just living, because it's just as hard to let go and die. Most accurately, courage is a willingness to die, be reborn and live anew many times in your one life.

If you define a willingness to die and be reborn, to live and be reborn many times, which in effect is just change....what about all those lost opportunities that people pass up because they are risky?

If you are consciously dying and being reborn, you are doing it for the conscious purpose of ascension. If people are passing up opportunities because they are risky, then they are afraid to die, which is the same as being afraid to live.

cowardice leads to being reborn too, because one is too scared to make a choice one affects life and gives you another form - so basically, there are courageous choices and cowardly choices.....

cowardly choices are a clinging to the known (life). So cowardice is the refusal to die by stepping into the unknown. But cowardice is also the refusal to live by stepping from the unknown, back into the world with ones own personal insight. One must be courageous twice, and then continually.

I'd say courage is the meritorious choice that carries a sacrifice of something one values. Cowardice being the unmeritorious choice that carries a gain of something one values.

Sacrifice is death. The greater the sacrifice the greater the death. The greater the death the greater the life. The greater the life, the greater the courage.

However, ultimately, one doesn't really have a choice whether one will be a courageous or cowardly person, If you value wisdom wouldn't you naturally choose to sacrifice attachments?

The degree to which you value wisdom, is the degree to which you sacrifice your self.

--

I do believe my aphorism can be improved though...

Courage isn't just facing death, because it's just as hard to face life. Courage isn't just living, because it's just as hard to let go and die. Most accurately, courage is a conscious willingness to die, be reborn and live anew many times in your one life, for the conscious sake of ascension.

[Ryan Rudolph]

Cory,

Sacrifice is death. The greater the sacrifice the greater the death. The greater the death the greater the life. The greater the life, the greater the courage.

A very powerful statement, and very difficult to live. When you quantify it, it forces you to compare your own level of negation, and see what you were and were not able abandon as far as conventional attachment is concerned.

Some men choose to dive head first into the depths of 'god', some race in up to their neck, get overwhelmed, and then run out, while some only test its depths with a few limbs, others stand at a distance and marvel at others who have taken the plunge, and then there are those who marvel the ones who haven't even come close.

[Ryan Rudolph]

Cory,

Standing up to an oppressive regime involves fighting physical demons outside of you, and the dichotomy is fairly straightforward "us VS. them" values. The opposition, despite being relatively radical, has a clear group consensus, and so again, one resorts to the safety of the herd. Engagement with the physical is always easier, as it's older in our evolution. The courage to face the psychic realm, to journey within and go to battle inwardly is late in our evolution, and there are less safety mechanisms in the brain to deal with it, so instead of the fire-bellied courage young men feel when they gather in a group to go against a physical enemy, one ends up with the "fear and trembling" of a solitary journey. It's the difference between collective courage (pushing beliefs on others) and individual courage (exploring doubts about oneself).

yes, going inward is definitely more difficult, requires a more subtle inwardly looking intellect, I agree, and therefore is a rarer phenomenon. However, I brought up both spectrums of courage because there are a few similarities. Both involve incredible risk and reducing ones chances of survival to make the future a better, more sane place to exist in, which involves a huge sacriface in both cases. Leading political revolutions are usually done by a small minority of males, as the majority are usually too afraid of the consequences of dissent.

Basically, If a man isn't strong enough to perfect himself inwardly, but still has a fire of masculinity, he may try to perfect his outward environment, and someone needs to be playing that role, and it is a necessary one.

[Cory Duchesne]

yes, going inward is definitely more difficult, requires a more subtle inwardly looking intellect, I agree, and therefore is a rarer phenomenon. However, I brought up both spectrums of courage because there are a few similarities. Both involve incredible risk and reducing ones chances of survival to make the future a better, more sane place to exist in, which involves a huge sacriface in both cases. Leading political revolutions are usually done by a small minority of males, as the majority are usually too afraid of the consequences of dissent.

Basically, If a man isn't strong enough to perfect himself inwardly, but still has a fire of masculinity, he may try to perfect his outward environment, and someone needs to be playing that role, and it is a necessary one.

As I'm sure you understand, there is an interesting lack of boundary between the two types of courage. If a group of young men do something very physically dangerous involving ideology and politics, you can be sure there was a lone male or two who went inside themselves and attained the kind of insight that only comes from courageous introspection, and then went on to excite a group of less conscious males. So the spiritual courage often unleashes an energy that finds it's way into the more physical males. There is an interesting working relationship between the two types of courage and two types of male.