Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Bravery!




Bravery, how do we define it, how do we measure or quantify it?
Bravery lies in accepting fears and moving ahead, and unwillingness to give up. It lies in walking in uncharted territories, believing in once convictions.
Meet Kiran Bedi the most celebrated and decorated COP, who was instrumental in the way inmates were treated in prison.
She is an epitome of bravery, and a source of true inspiration, unlike her predecessors she never gave, never gave up on the lowest soul, the human aspirations of inmates were recognized and results were extremely awarding, the rate of repeat customers (for lack of a better word) dropped drastically.
We as humans always tend to choose path of minimum resistance, and seek convenience, she could have easily opted for the same; but deep down she had strong belief to bring about a change.
This drive forced her to take radical steps and try and modify the existing system, she was the first one to start yoga, meditation and self awareness program for inmates in the famous Tihar Jail, known for its notorious criminals. This mission transformed many lives, not just those of inmates but there relatives.
This shows that freedom, and humane behavior can help create a radical change rather than brute force and dominance.
People tend to take an act of bravery and heroism as that which involves winning in a physical combat or outwitting the opponent by shear absence of fear.
Let’s accept the fact we all face fear and we all fight it, and bravery can’t be just that ,it involves taking actions that are firm , actions against the odds, against disbelief of others , it also means believing in once convictions.
Act of Bravery to garner popularity can’t be termed as one, as it is not just about doing the dare.
I belong to the Island city of Mumbai, and I was unfortunate to be in Mumbai, during the 7/11 Terror attack, after the blast at Jogeshwari, I saw a young girl of 15-16 years of age who tried to help an unconscious elderly lady, the girl was drenched in blood, she should have been scared and shocked by the scene, but she tried to console at least 10-15 ladies who were victims of the attack. What helped her in such act, she also never knew when asked by the media personnel.
Courage lies deep within all of us , courage drives us to perform an act of bravery, which helps transform a life or many lives.