Courage

Today I spoke to a class of high school students about courage. Not so much the courage of the fire fighter, the Marine or the person who resorts to superhuman feats in preservation of their own life, although we touched on those things. We talked more about moral courage, and integrity. It was a great discussion and you could see these kids get the ahah moment when they realized that lying, cheating or stealing is never a mistake its always a conscious choice, a decision made to advance personal gain at the expense of personal integrity.
I was asked what was the bravest thing I had ever done. It was without a doubt resigning from the Marine Corps, selling all I owned to allow my wife to pursue her dream of a graduate degree at Cambridge. I remember a discussion with her professor where he said to me "It's a very brave thing you are doing." I didnt give it much thought then. Now that I am divorced, a single father and in a different career. It occurs to me that he was right, just for the wrong reasons