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