Be the Light and Take Your Stand
The Stoic virtue of Courage against adversity
The Stoic virtue of Courage against adversity
There comes a time in all our lives where a decision must be made: will we stand up for something we believe in or will we let the pressures of others, of what’s right, get the better of us?
One of the cardinal virtues of Stoicism is courage, or to be a little clearer, the courage to stand against fears as well as to oppose vice.
We will face situations that we feel are not right. Maybe it is a time where someone does something to you you don’t like and know isn’t right. Maybe someone has done something to a friend or family member. Maybe your community is suffering an injustice and something needs to be done.
Courage is the ability to stand your ground, to oppose these situations, to remember that you yourself have power, power over your actions to make a difference, in your own life and others. It isn’t easy, sometimes you are a small fish in a large pond, sometimes you are the single voice in the crowd. But if you have power over yourself, does it matter? Yes it’s hard, but if it is right to stand up, to speak the truth, no matter how hard that is, shouldn’t you do it?
For every Martin Luther King, Jr. in the world whose story we know, there are millions of others who stand their ground every day, who fight for what’s right in the face of fear, retaliation, and adversity.
Marcus Aurelius wrote to himself once that what was most important was to do what was right, that everything else didn’t matter. How different would our lives look if we all took this approach? If we didn’t allow others to push us around, if whenever we saw something bad or not right be done to another we took a stand and did what we could to rectify the problem? To help not only ourselves but others?
We’re all connected. An injustice against a single person is an injustice against the greater whole. Marcus often writes about society and the individual, stating what injures the hive injures the bee. Why? Because we’re all connected, each of us being a part of the greater whole. If something isn’t good for the individual, it’s not good for the community. And if something isn’t good for the community, it can’t be good for the individuals who make up the community according to Marcus.
“Remember how long you’ve been putting this off,” he reminds himself, “how many extensions the gods gave you, and you didn’t use them… there is a limit to the time assigned you, and if you don’t use it to free yourself it will be gone and will never return.”
It is about what we do not just for ourselves but for those around us, not just for those who can help themselves but for those who can’t. We are strong as individuals but stronger as a whole.
As Ryan Holiday writes in his new book, Courage is Calling:
“We can’t bemoan the darkness of this world we live in. We have to search for the light. We have to be the light.”
Realize you have the power to be that light. Even if it is just for yourself. Sometimes the hardest part of courage is finding the strength to stand your ground, but once you do, no matter how big or small, you’ve proven to yourself and others that you can. Use that as a means for being courageous and standing up to the next adversity you face.
You hold all this within your control. Use it.
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