COURAGE OF CONVICTION

“Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. Most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, for they already know what you truly want to become."

These memorable words of advice were given by Steve Jobs, one of the greatest and most successful entrepreneurs and innovators the world will ever see. It was contained in a short commencement address he delivered to the graduating class of 2005 at Stanford University, six years before his untimely death in 2011. Later in the speech he added the following observation:

“I have immense respect for those who took that leap of faith only to find their idea not to work out. They followed their heart and chose to go down a path that only a few are willing to embrace.”              

These statements taken together, exquisitely demonstrate the essential qualities of mind and spirit needed to produce in someone, the courage of conviction needed to bravely face, without fear or recrimination, their difficulties, disappointments, failures, criticisms and disbelief.

      To have the courage of one’s conviction is to act in accordance with one’s belief and to follow one’s heart to do what needs to be done to achieve one’s dreams. And to do all this, while facing the possibility of failing or of objections from those who choose to criticize or prefer to resist change of any kind. The possession of this quality is the greatest attribute of every successful leader, irrespective of whether it takes place in the political, industrial, educational, social or personal setting. The expression of this courage in the pursuit of a dream is the single, most constant characteristic required by anyone intent on achieving the heights of greatness and of personal satisfaction. 

History overflows with examples of people who have lived and died for their beliefs and whose actions have resulted in changing the   world. In every case they began with a belief and a dream, and a determination to carry it out to completion, at all cost. They come from every era and every generation and the results they achieve have served to change the world and its thinking positively; -and in some cases, negatively.

Philosophers as far back as recorded history have been trying to accurately define the concept of the courage needed to carry through with a conviction. The ancient Chinese equated courage with love and the urge to do good. The Romans viewed it as a cardinal virtue equivalent to justice, prudence and fortitude. The ancient Greeks preferred to think of courage as perseverance of a belief, while in the Medieval times, influenced by the rise of Christianity, courage was considered to be one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Whatever the definition, the constant thread in all is that Courage is the primary virtue, without which none of the other virtues could function successfully.

Most people are content to define Courage as an action that recognizes the risks and defies fear, but to me this is incomplete.  Leaders who display this type of courage also stand apart as innovators and original thinkers. They are not content to accept the prevailing attitudes and are determined to change the existing conditions. It is this special, intangible quality within the individual that makes the difference, and provides the impetus that converts an idea or a belief into a reality. It is a deep-seated desire to improve the quality of life or change an existing condition that comes from within the person. It can not be copied or learnt, nor can it be passed on from one to another.

Society, like nature itself, prefers the security of the status quo and resists change of any kind. In general, people are conditioned to prefer this way of life and to conform to it, if only to avoid the uncertainties of change. When St. Teresa of Kolkota rejected the greedy and self-centered societal attitudes that exist even today in India, which results in millions of the poor and destitute people being consigned to a miserable life of neglect and starvation on the streets of the cities, she was in fact acting out of the courage a conviction of Christian love for others. She expressed this most effectively when she said:

Suffering today is because people are hoarding, not giving, not sharing.  Jesus made it very clear. Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me.  Give a glass of water, you give it to me. Receive a little child, you receive me.”  

She devoted her life in the service of these people and in so doing, succeeded in focusing the attention of the world toward its true responsibility to care for its less fortunate members.

         But demonstrating this type of courage is never easy, nor is it ever free of ridicule and resistance. The reason for this is that by definition, a society in order to survive is committed to maintaining conformity within its boundaries and to observe common rules. Any attempt to change this, to alter any of the existing state, or to move forward in a different direction which may result in changing the status-quo, will be met with questions and distrust. These special people possess some common characteristics that seem to propel them above the noises of objection and help them to achieve their goal. They possessed a conviction that accompanies their desire for change that never weakens, even in the face of impending fear. As Nelson Mandela, the great South African freedom fighter, so effectively described in the following quotation:

“I learnt that courage is not the absence of fear, but triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

- This indeed is the very heart of the Courage of Conviction!

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DEALING WITH THE PAST

“Oh yes, the past can hurt you. But you can either run from it, or learn from it.”

Sometime ago, long after it was originally released by the Disney Studios in 1994, I had the opportunity to view the outstandingly successful movie entitled “The Lion King.” It was an attempt to tell a story on life by using animal cartoon figures. The actual story and the conclusions arrived at, were soundly philosophical, and worthy of serious study. The above quotation was spoken by Rafiki, the Mandrill who was the Lion King’s associate and served as the main narrator in the show. It struck me as one of the most powerful comments on past experiences ever recorded. In a few simple words he confirmed that memories of past events are indeed double edged swords. They can serve to help you open a whole new world, or to hurt you by holding you back.

Most authorities generally encourage people to ignore or forget the past and to avoid worrying too much about the future. They insist that one should spend all one’s time living life in the present. But this statement is incomplete and not quite accurate. Although there is sound truth in the recommendations, and indeed, anyone who chooses to ignore them and allow their lives to be defined by the choices they make from past experience alone, are doomed to disappointment and failure. Despite this however, it is of utmost importance to recognize that there will always be valuable lessons to be learnt from the past and those who choose to ask the right questions and to search out the right answers about the past, are the ones who will derive the fullest rewards from living their lives in the present.

The individual, who is able to by-pass emotional responses and the disappointments associated with past experiences, will find that there is much to be learnt from events of the past and that much of this information can be applied to improve life in the present. One can begin by identifying the strengths worth developing and the weaknesses that must be corrected or eliminated. Other meaningful relationships can be explored and encouraged, and those that weaken and render one vulnerable, avoided. Attitudes that undermine the best intentions must be identified and corrected so that they do not condemn your future actions. These and many more important traits can only be identified and lessons can only be learnt, from returning to the fires of past experiences.

But there must be a limit to how long and how involved one   becomes in the pursuit of past experiences. The most important thing to bear in mind is that the past must not be allowed to hold any control over current life decisions at anytime. That risk is always present, for like any bad habit acquired, there is always the possibility of falling back. Once we recognize these facts, we can better take control of our lives, and become the true owners of our future. Anthony Robbins, the highly successful, celebrated American businessman, author and motivational speaker, firmly and categorically reinforced this attitude when he publicly stated:

“I’ve come to believe that all my past failures and frustrations were actually laying the foundation for the understanding that has created the new level of living

I now enjoy.”

LIVING YOUR DREAM

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.”

These words written by the renowned American historian, essayist, poet and philosopher Henry David Thoreau, reflect a life spent in confrontation of the prevailing norms of society. He was a lifelong abolitionist and environmentalist whose ideas on civil disobedience influenced such notable leaders as Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, Jr. Thoreau was the consummate dreamer, always searching for a cause to support and doing so with confidence and vigor.

We are all, to a greater or lesser extent, dreamers, but yet unfortunately very few of us have acquired the courage and conviction necessary to follow our dreams to fruition. We would rather prefer to spend our time focusing on our limitations or making excuses for why we cannot be the people we would like to be. We are content to sit back and spend our time in the useless pass time of admiring or copying those who have succeeded, or envying their success, or even worse, criticizing and vilifying them. We have no difficulty to convince ourselves that following our dream is unrealistic, impractical; and totally far-fetched. We argue that such a life is reserved for few select people who are different and specially endowed, but for the rest of humanity it is unrealistic to expect it.

Most of the blame for this unfortunate situation can be laid on society’s attitude to its members. In its desire to maintain order and conformity and to ensure predictable activity, society frowns on anyone or any idea that might be different and unpredictable. From very early in life, children are taught to follow rules and are punished if they do not. We insist on maintaining uniformity and spend all our lives living by rules laid down by others. This approach has its benefits. It ensures that the majority will receive fair and equitable opportunity and that no one is left without a chance. But unfortunately it does not encourage the individual to search out and to break the rules, and certainly frowns on the individual who is willing to follow his inner spirit and find out that he does indeed have the power to create new directions. Throughout history of man’s existence in this world he has yet to accept the fact that he continues to be guilty of failing to accept what Walt Disney found out on his own, that:

“All our dreams will come true,

if we have the courage to pursue them.”

The truth is that it takes a special person with special attitudes to rise above the accepted level of mediocrity, and with a special vision and an unyielding determination to succeed against all odds. And indeed there has been no shortage of these people throughout the history of the world. In fact, the world itself has been molded into its present state not by the efforts of the masses of mediocrity but by the strength of the few special people who chose to follow their dreams with courage and conviction. The names of many of these people are indelibly recorded in history books of the world, but by far the majority remains unrecorded and unrecognized. They come from every sphere of human activity and every age and sex. They all possessed certain common characteristics that distinguished them from the rest; A commitment to follow their dream for change, a belief in their ability to succeed, courage to follow through failure and resistance and an imagination that has no boundaries.

CHOOSING YOUR OWN PATH

CHOOSING YOUR OWN PATH

“When you see a path already laid out in front of you step by step, you should know that it is not your path. You make your own path with every step you take; that’s why it’s your own path.”      

When Joseph Campbell, the respected American author, lecturer and a leading expert in mythology wrote these words he was received with much skepticism for his ideas. But he was right. For the truth is that, irrespective of circumstances, you can never, ever rely on anyone else’s path to lead you to where you want to be. Life is not cut that way. In fact, when one reflects on it, life is always about many pathways, each one going in a different direction and each provided specifically for a single individual. Since no two individuals ever have journeys which are exactly the same, it follows that any attempt for anyone to follow a path other than his own will be unsuccessful.

We all have to choose our own paths in life and we must all follow that path in the direction it leads us. We have the ability to change or modify the direction to suit our own personal needs and inclinations, but we cannot mould it to suit anyone else’s direction. Nor for that matter, can we expect others to mould themselves to suit our desires.

This indeed is the fundamental principle of life; one that we must all follow if we truly want to live the life expected of us. Anything else will eventually lead us into a jungle of confusion and discontent. In fact a great deal of unnecessary disappointment can be avoided if it is understood that while it is not possible to follow another person without risking consequences, it is possible to learn from another, while still cutting one’s own path.

 Life can be seen as made up of a whole variety of paths running in endless directions and crossing one another in bewildering combinations and situations. Each one of these paths belongs to a single individual and reflects that person’s own special direction. But as they cross and intersect one another, they are exposed to a variety of influences and contacts. Some are content to choose easy paths, avoid contacts and expend as little effort as they need, and then live out their lives in blissful apathy. Others choose the more unrealistic and unsuitable paths and spend their lives in constant confusion and struggle without achieving meaningful reward. And there are those who search for the opportunities offered, and challenge themselves to follow their dreams by building their own paths. The choices exercised will result ultimately in the path chosen and will inevitably lead on to the individual fulfilling his purpose in life.

As the quotation suggests each one of us must choose our path and develop it step by step. Each moment lived, each thought shared, each decision taken, each experience that occurs in one’s life are like stepping stones placed one next to the other as they build their individual pathway. We are the sum total of everything that has happened to us, and as we travel on the road of life we keep adding to this.

Life itself is the direct result of this step-by-step action. There can be no rigid, preconceived plan, nor is it possible to replicate another’s path or to be certain of the right way from the wrong way without first personally trying and then deciding for oneself. The completeness of the path, like life itself, will appear only as our canvas of life unfolds, and we have traveled some distance on the road.

Albert Einstein, the famous German-born American theoretical physicist and in his own special way a philosopher on life and living, placed this aspect in its true context when he advised:

“If you follow the crowd, you will go no further than the crowd. But if you walk alone, and find your own way, you will likely find yourself in places no one has ever been before.”

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A LIFE WORTH LIVING

“Believe, and you shall be right, for you shall save yourself. Doubt, and you shall again be right, for you will perish.

The only difference is that to believe is greatly to your advantage”

         This memorable quotation is by William James MD, the great American physician, philosopher and psychologist. He recorded it in 1882 in an article he wrote in the Princeton Review entitled ‘Rationality, Activity and Faith;’ a very complicated, complex and far-reaching essay on the subject of human behavior. It covered many aspects of thought and activity as he argued forcefully, and in my view very correctly, that ultimately we all become the person we believe we are, and each one of us will either enjoy the rewards, or pay the price of that belief.

         In life, each one of us is constantly faced with this dilemma; to do or not to do! Each time a situation arises or a decision is required, we instinctively experience a feeling of uncertainty that will remain until a decision is made. Those who are positive, whose belief structure is established and confidence secure, will go forward and be rewarded. But those who are consumed with doubt, apathy and insecurity are likely to hold back, and risk losing everything. In the end, it is never the task ahead, nor its difficulty or its complexity that determines success or failure. It is always about us, our faith in ourselves, our confidence in our ability and our belief that we will succeed, that determines the outcome.

         One of my most striking encounters with this dilemma occurred many years ago. I was a young physician only recently returned and working in the ER. To my horror, I was called by the police to the home of a friend whom I had known all my life. He had just committed suicide. It would appear that this young man, because of a number ill-advised choices and associations had found himself in what he felt to be in a pointless situation. He had lost all hope or belief that the life he so longed for, was still attainable. To him, all the doors were now shut tight. He saw no reason to live and he decided that this was his only option.. As I examined him, I remembered looking at his lifeless body and asking myself; “Did he really find the solution? Is he really finally at peace?”  ---- -I am not sure if I ever found an answer!

         There was another experience that has affected me even more unforgettably, and one which still stands out in my mind far more than the countless incidents that I have witnessed over the many years of my professional life. More than any other, it has served to underline the validity of James’ views to me. It concerns the actions of a member of my family. He was a man, who for as long as I have known him, overflowed with an inexhaustible belief in himself and in life. Starting from a relatively humble beginning, he successfully built an empire by dint of personal confidence and a profound belief in his ability and in the value of life.

Some fifteen years ago, as a result of an unfortunate accident,   he suffered a catastrophic fall which resulted in total paralysis below the neck and permanent loss of mobility. Contrary to the usual response one would normally expect of negativity, cursing his luck, his physician and his God, he instead believed that there was a meaning in this new life and spent the next five years of his life teaching others by example, how to cope with the disability. His belief clearly made his life worth living; and he lived it to the fullest!

I have chosen these two examples quite deliberately to demonstrate the extreme ends of the spectrum of life. Although they appear to be completely different in every aspect, in fact a closer examination will reveal that they both form part of the continuum of life which ranges from feelings of despair, doubt and disappointment on one end, to those of joy, confidence and optimism at the other end.  This is exactly what James was alluding to in the above quotation, and by inference, reminding us that the decisions and the choices are, to a large extent, in our hands. Where we find ourselves on the continuum rests more on the decisions we make and the choices we accept and far less on circumstances, luck or chance.

 If we value life enough, then we will be willing to expend the effort necessary. But if we do not, then we will surely end up discarding it;

-- and then pay the price!

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