My name is Jesse H. and I am here today to speak to you about courage. Courage is a word with many meanings. Whether it is facing your fears, trying a new thing, or simply stepping out of your comfort zone, courage is a quality we should all apply to our personalities. Sometimes our courage is diminished when there are obstacles in the way. The most intimidating and dangerous obstacle, however, oftentimes is ourselves. Our personal fear is a limiting factor that every single one of us lives with. However, I can offer a piece of advice to all of you that may help your struggle against fear. As Franklin D Roosevelt said, ‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.’ Let me elaborate by telling a story…
During my Upper Inter summer, we were having a blast at Dorney Park. Back then I was terrified of any ride that wasn’t a merry-go-round. Throughout the day, I avoided all of the big coasters. After a few hours, my group approached the last ride. For those of you who have been to Dorney, you may have heard the name “Steel Force.” For those of you have not yet been, you will get to know the name very soon, because it is a mighty sight to behold. Our counselor urged me to go on. In my head I was panicking, and then a thought came to me. “Why am I scared of these? I know these coasters have been tested thousands of times, and also that G-d will protect me no matter what.” At that moment, I realized that if I looked at my fears more objectively, then there is, in fact, nothing scary about these rides. Willingly, I hopped on board Steel Force. I screamed a lot, but I had an absolute blast; it made my day and the entire trip a wonderful time. I learned how to turn fear and anxiety into courage and excitement. Now every time I am on a coaster, I think about that moment when I successfully translated my fear into courage.
Parallel to this little allegory, courage continues to be a necessary device when making important life decisions. Should I have a Bar Mitzvah? Will I get married? Will I have children? Should I go back on line for seconds? Questions such as these have life-altering consequences, and require a certain degree of courage to move forward and to make the correct decision. Doing the right thing isn’t always easy, but with a little love, judgement, a strong will, and a healthy dose of courage, making the right choices should come a bit easier. Demonstrating courage can improve anyone’s life ten-fold. Just remember the words that the only thing to fear is fear itself (FDR). I remember when my father first told me these words. I couldn’t fully comprehend what it meant back then, like some of you may be experiencing right now. Eventually, if you can start to understand, I promise you your life will be prosperous and exciting.
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