A Burst of Courage

 This week's quote reads, "It's time for a burst of courage again."

Our world, it seems, is going to hell in a handbasket, to use a well-worn, but sadly accurate, cliché. Too many parts of the world are experiencing war and violence, with all their dreadful consequences, and wide swathes of the rest are subject to "natural" disasters (for many are climate-change induced, which isn't natural, not really) - floods, wildfires, hurricanes, and droughts, leading to widespread hardship. Not only for human beings, but for all living things. In many places, the people in power are persecuting those less powerful than themselves, with dreadful consequences.

So it's time for a burst of courage again. It's time to stand up for all the persecuted minorities, for our beleaguered planet. Time not to merely shake our heads sadly and turn the page or scroll on down. Time to get out and actually do something about it, however small. Because every little helps. Whether it is a letter to our MP, signing a petition, donating to a charity which helps to alleviate whatever the problem is. These are all easy things, which may be done from the comfort of our own home.

It is harder to make a sea-change in our own lives - to be like the Good Samaritan, to not "walk by on the other side." It takes courage and commitment to take part in a public protest; to resolve to shop ethically, rather than as cheaply as possible; to buy only what we need, rather than what the adverts seduce us into believing we need; to repair worn belongings rather than throwing them away; to go on a regular litter pick in our neighbourhood; to visit someone lonely; to have a smile and a friendly word for strangers; to volunteer at the local food bank or other local charity; to stand up for someone being bullied; and, most importantly, to treat every human being as though they were "unique, precious, a child of God" as the Quakers have it. Because they are, each and every one of them / us.