What does it take to have the courage of your convictions?

I’m not sure if I’m thoroughly grokking your talk about “courage of your convictions.”

Most of my own convictions stem from a belief (rather more marginalized than you might initially think) that has among its central messages that we should be bold in proclaiming the Gospel and that God has our collective backs covered. Acting on them can sometimes feel like a “damn the torpedoes” moment.

I ask you: what good is a conviction that you don’t act on?

This is a good question.

On the one hand, I think that people of any ostrasized group shouldn’t have to come out of the closet if they don’t want to, and I don’t want to call those people cowards. Sometimes people just don’t need to know everything. But in a way, that does feel like admitting defeat to social norms.

Coming out of the closet can only serve to create more awareness for their group, which I’m sure anyone in this condition would agree is for the greater good, though it might mean personal sacrifice. That is courageous.

Kinda like “coming out” as a Libertarian on Fluther, you mean? : )

Margaritas and a pack of smokes. A .357 helps too.

Not sure. But whatever it is, I keep coming back to Fluther. It certainly isn’t peer approval. Maybe it’s @lucillelucillelucille

I don’t have any personal experience with this but…

I think first you need to decide if its something the world should know about. A lot of the things you mentioned are, I think, something the world should come to accept.

But leading the charge doesn’t mean just coming out and saying “look at me.” It means figuring out a) why people ostracize it and b) if you can do anything about it. Just coming out without a plan might do more harm than good. Then again, I guess someone has to go first… which takes a lot of courage.

All in all, it doesn’t make you a coward if you don’t “come out.” But, the people who do come out are particularly brave.

You don’t agonize over “what ifs.” You get up, walk to the door, and come out.

To me it is about being brave in the face of pressure or opposition to your beliefs or to the norm.
There are times in life when you feel so strongly about a particular matter that you have to be prepared to stand alone with your beliefs and to take action towards them even if nobody else wants to support you.
It does at times mean “coming out of the closet” as you mentioned. Other times it is about doing something that simply is going against the grain of the norm.
The core to me is in the deep belief you have for this particular thing.
It’s about listening to your feelings and that despite the riff it may cause, you press through it.
You have to stand up and do what’s right. This can be about yourself or about something that you see as being wrong.
I have done this in the past on simple things like changing jobs, making a physical move. Also when deciding to break a relationship.
My work with a Conservation Commission and standing up against opeople or organizations that don’t care about nature. Being part of the Walden Woods Project.
It’s a feeling of being naked to the world, but standing there strong and proud of your belief.

It seems to me that all it really takes is convictions… and courage. But just because people don’t always come out of whatever closet they’re in doesn’t necessarily mean that they lack either or both of those things. There’s a lot to be said for picking your battles, too.

I’ve always been the type to stand up for what I believe in even if it makes me a leper. At one time I even had to stand my ground against all my in-laws because I wouldn’t choose someone to be my daughters god mother and choose who I desired. That was just the beginning of a long line of things that I had to stand my ground against them because they thought they could convince me to do something I don’t believe in. Eventually they learned. I don’t do it to be spiteful or willful. Rather I do it because I won’t pretend to be someone I am not. I have to face myself in the mirror everyday. I think its harder to live in shame than to live in the truth.

Interesting question.

Firstly, it would depend on what you mean by “having the courage of your convictions.” To me it means the tenacity to stand by what you believe to be true in the face of opposition.

I find the question interesting because I’ve never really faced that problem. I’m a loner, so I pretty much march to a different drum anyway. Besides my wife, I could care less about what anyone says concerning my beliefs or my actions.

I don’t even care how the wife feels if she gets on my nerves enough.

I imagine it’s a much harder situation for people whose self-esteem is measured what what other people think, or for people who closely identify with a particular lifestyle or thought system. The rejection those people could possibly face would be horrendous.

I think the key is within the question itself. A person accustomed to standing by their truth doesn’t need courage. That person will do the right thing (whatever that means to him) regardless of the consequences because that’s their nature. Courage is sought when facing a situation that’s painful or difficult. In this case, courage is needed because the person has practiced a form of self-deception, for whatever reason, and has decided to change…a difficult task for anyone whose self-esteem or self-image is heavily influenced by the opinion of others.

I don’t envy anyone faced with that predicament.

( I apologize if my answer hasn’t been particularly insightful or helpful.)