What is courage?

By Joan E. (Watler) Wilson

I believe courage is one’s self looking out over the world and recognising a challenge which could be anything. For instance, Neil Armstrong looking at the moon and saying he wanted to walk on its surface; Columbus telling the King of Portugal that there were spice islands to the east; a boy wanting to ride his bicycle without training wheels.

The courage is believing enough in yourself that you can rise to meet the challenge, even when it looks impossible. You have to have selfconfidence to have courage. Without the determination, the dedication, and the attitude not to give up, courage will not survive.

Just remember, attitude is the first quality that marks a successful person. If you have a positive attitude and you are a positive thinker, one who likes a challenge, then you have half your success achieved. On the other hand, if you are a negative thinker, with a narrow mind that refuses to accept new ideas and have a defeatist attitude, you haven’t got a chance.

My first act of courage was as a very young woman leaving the safety and comforts of her mother and father’s home, travelling by air across the vast Atlantic to England. And the challenge I had in accepting England as my new home. Every day was a different challenge. But my attitude was always high. People loved me for whom I was and admired me for my courage in accepting England as my new home. Leaving behind an island time forgot and, believe you me, we were almost forgotten in those days.

My other big challenge, which really took all my courage, was the formation and realization of a successful television station. The days of interviews with so-called financiers that came to nothing; the nights of going to bed just crying my heart out, because it looked as though we’d lose the franchise after all. Praying and crying that’s all I could do. Seeing some people for what they really were – just a bunch of people with the gift of the gab, but no finance. Then, at the eleventh hour, when it seemed all hope was gone, I just had enough courage left in me to answer my phone at 2 am in the morning. It was the answer I had been praying for every night for weeks – Weststar TV calling from California requesting and offering to help us with finance and management. As you know, the rest is history.

Cayman and Caymanians have always had courage. Our men have had to leave home to face uncertainties in seeking employment as seamen and/or working on railway lines to help build The Great Americas. Believe you me, they had a challenge then and it took a lot of courage to leave their families and even more courage to travel to those far off places.

Dr. R. E. McTaggart certainly faced a big challenge when he had the courage to refuse going as a dependancy under Jamaica way back in 1960. That took courage to face the challenge and I think Dr. Roy, being the Godly person he was, probably prayed a lot and kept the faith, “That it was the right thing to do to stay a Crown Colony of Great Britain.” Can you picture what it would be like in Cayman today had we gone with Jamaica.

Today all of us need courage to face the every day challenges. Our youth, especially, need a lot of courage and the more challenges they have the more occupied they will be. Just so they are taught the simple things in life – how to love; how to give; how to respect others; how to put in a good days work for a good days pay. These are all challenges which should be taught in the home and schools, thus preparing these young minds to have a good attitude, thereby readying them for the big world and the real big challenges out there.

Cayman has changed a lot, we all know that, and with these changes good and bad influences have come about. However, in my walks of life I still feel we are a blessed people and we should never take anything for granted. There’s more good out there than bad believe me. I thank God every day for giving me courage to face every day challenges. I thank Him every day for giving me the strength so that I may help others and the challenges they may have.

Cayman has grown a lot and with growth has come many different cultures that out number our own. This, alone, is one big challenge. However, if Caymanians continue to practice our friendliness, as we did in the past, we might win these cultures over to or way.

Growth Brings Change:

A little girl named Jessica is an example of how growth brings change. When she was asked by her Sunday School teacher,

“Who made you?”

She replied, “Well, God made a part of me.”

“What’ do you mean, God made a part of you?” asked the surprised teacher.

“Well,” Jessica replied, “God made me real little, and I just growed the rest myself.”

Cayman is full of opportunities. have courage to seek them out. Life is like a game of cards. The players must accept the hand dealt to them, but once these cards are in their hands, they alone must have the courage to decide how to play them in order to win.

There is no need to dread the future or the present. At whatever age, we can be creative, productive, and able to make the most of every day. All we need is courage.

My Prayer:

O Gracious and Holy Father

Give us wisdom to perceive thee

Diligence to seek thee

Patience to wait for thee

Eyes to behold thee

A heart to meditate upon thee

A life to proclaim thee

And courage to face the challenges

Occurring each day in our lives.

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