Courage and Fear

"Il coraggio è fatto di paura" (Courage is made of fear.) 
As somebody who interviewed top world leaders during the 60's, 70's and 80's, including Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979 & North Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap during the Vietnam War, Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci, might know a thing or two about courage and fear.

The idea of courage and fear coexisting and even going hand-in-hand might not be a new one, but it has enjoyed more popularity lately thanks to the work of Dr. Brené Brown, who came into the spotlight for her TEDx talk on vulnerability, and her appearances on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday, and Lifeclass.  

She is also the author of several books, notably "The Gifts of Imperfection" and her most recent "Daring Greatly." One of the central points of her research is the idea that vulnerability is not weakness, but rather being authentic and willing to stand up and be seen, and in order to be vulnerable, one must be courageous. Being courageous does not require eliminating fear, but rather embracing it and using it to one's advantage.  The truly courageous experience fear, but act anyway, using their core values as guides to keep them "on course."

Often times, we experience fear in the face of our soul's greatest desires, so turning away from fear is essentially denying ourselves the joy of life's most fulfilling experiences. In an effort to say "yes" more fully to life -vulnerability and fear included- I've made the commitment to be more courageous and make some "big jumps."

This must be an important lesson in my life at the moment, because it seems to be popping up everywhere I turn. (Ok Universe, you got my attention!)  

In addition to the above Oriana Fallaci quote (which I found researching something completely unrelated for my Italian language learning blog Didattichiamo!) - recently, Mom discovered the artist Emiliana Torrini and in particular her song "Big Jumps" (which we included as our song recommendation in Volume No. 01 ~ Issue 03 of our digital magazine, pgs 11-12.) 

I reacted immediately to the song and analyzing it a bit more in depth, it's easy to see why:  it encapsulates the themes of being courageous and daring in a straightforward and simple way, and sets these "lofty" themes to an upbeat tune and a charming video.  

It's become my own personal theme song, and I think you might enjoy it too:

I walked all morning to lift my heart

‘Cause the world keeps dancing with

The paper man.

I love you never talk in dreams.

The now is here, your happiness is real.

Oh, make some big jumps, big jumps

You afraid to break some bones?

Come on, do some big jumps, big jumps

Life is yours alone.

You hold your head up, your head up high

Like you think I do.
Do do do do do, do do do

Sometimes I feel so confused.

I’m under the illusion that I

Have to choose.

I love you always know the way.

The way back home always is the same.

Oh, make some big jumps, big jumps

You afraid to break some bones?

Come on make some big jumps, big jumps

Life is yours alone.

You hold your head up, your head up high

Like you think I do.
Do do do do do, do do do

Tick-tock this clockwork will stop.

You’re the key for winding up my heart.

Brick-brack if you don’t wind me up

The sky will lie upon me like a

Passed-out drunk.

Without you, I would never rise again.

Without you, I would never rise…

Hey there sunshine lift my heart.

I know life is long, but it goes so fast.

I love you never feeling old.

You never bought the rubbish that they sold.

Oh, make some big jumps, big jumps

You afraid to break some bones?

Come on make some big jumps, big jumps

Life is yours alone.

You hold your head up, your head up high

Like you think I do.

Here's to all of our next big jumps!

(Do do do do do, do do do...)                                  

images by lb for linenandlavender.blogspot.com

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Design Daily - Nature's Art

Photograph by LeAnn for l&l, Palos Verdes, CA September 2009

Trees glorious trees!  

Meetings with Remarkable Trees

The Meaning of Trees

The Wisdom of Trees

Speak for the Trees

About the Book

The artists in this powerful new book, Speak For The Trees, include both young and emerging artists, and such world-renowned figures as David Hockney, conceptual artist Yoko Ono, pop-surrealist Mark Ryden, international-environmental artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude and the beyond categorization Starn Brothers. 
Each artist contributed artwork, which has been showcased on a two-page spread together with the artist’s thinking on his or her work in relationship to trees, and with a quotation each selected from writers as diverse as Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso, Abraham Lincoln and Henry David Thoreau, William Shakespeare and Ogden Nash.

Speak For The Trees explores the profound relationship humanity has with trees, moving and inspiring all who experience it. This is a reflection, Friesen writes, of something we have “known” for more than five thousand years: “We are connected…gratitude and respect for nature are paramount. If we tuned in and returned to that deeper understanding and sense of unity, how could the world not be a better place?”

The project received a remarkable response from all participants: Few of the artists had heard of Friesen or of her gallery, but all agreed to participate based on the title of the book alone; the artists’ visual and written offerings were donated, and no royalties were paid for any copyrighted text.

One hundred percent of the proceeds of this first edition (outside of printing costs) will directly and equally benefit the Esalen Institute in California and the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland.

-all information and excerpts from the Speak for the Trees Book website. 

For further details, including the extensive list of artists and authors involved, go to:
About the Book
&

The story behind Speak for the Trees 

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