I remember reading in Shakespeare that "Cowards die many times before their death, the valiant taste of death but once." That has been an inspiration and a guiding beacon for me during most of the challenges that I've faced. Essentially, Shakespeare was referring to the fact that while most people let fear lead their lives and make their decisions, most of the time leading them to not attempting a task or at the very best, aiding them in failure. A friend posted on her Facebook today that while walking from a college class she heard a stranger on the phone with her mother, crying because her boyfriend had broken up with her. My friend's hindsight told her that she should have stopped and offered her comfort to the stranger, and looking back, knows it may have been the right thing to do.
I offered some advice to my friend in an indirect way that read, "Sometimes a person's character is better judged by the things that they do not do, rather than the things they have done." My friend viewed my reply as I was saying that she should have comforted the stranger. A friend of hers replied that she shouldn't view it like that, and for all she knows the girl could have slapped her. My reply to her was, What if the people in Iraq shot at us for trying to liberate them? What if your mom had been too scared to have a child because she was too scared about how her body would react? You can't live your life by what might happen because then you're not in control of what will happen. Take control of what will happen. "Cowards die many times before their death, the valiant taste of death but once."
How do you feel about embracing a stranger in need? Do you live your life by what might happen or by what will happen?
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