Geoff Steck's Catalyst Collection: Thank Goodness It's Monday #322

WHAT MAKES A KING OUT OF A SLAVE?

That question was posed by Bert Lahr in his role as The Cowardly Lion in the movie classic, “The Wizard of Oz.”

Remember it? He answers rhetorically, “Courage!”

In the movie the bit where it appears continues:

Cowardly Lion:

Bert Lahr
as The Cowardly Lion
imagines himself
"King of the Forest"

What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage.

What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist or the dusky dusk?

What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage.

What makes the Sphinx the 7th Wonder? Courage.

What makes the dawn come up like THUNDER?! Courage.

What makes the Hottentot so hot?

What puts the "ape" in ape-ricot?

Whatta they got that I ain't got?

Dorothy & Friends: Courage!

Cowardly Lion: You can say that again.

Courage is a word that appeared often recently – and rightly, I think – relative to the 10-year anniversary of the events of 9/11.

But I also think extraordinary events produce extraordinary behaviors and that the courageous examples exhibited by so many on that occasion are the exception, not the rule, in daily life.

Evidence: The character of The Cowardly Lion. As with all the characters central to the Oz fable, it’s the long-term recognition of some aspect of universal human frailty in each of them that makes the story still attractive and resonant.

Like the Wizard, we all have a touch of humbug.
Like the Tin Man, we all suffer from a lack of “heart” from time to time.
Like the Scarecrow, we have moments when we neglect to use our brains.
Like Dorothy, too often we aren’t appreciative of the good things that surround us daily.
Like the Wicked Witch, we can be entirely self-absorbed and greedy beyond our needs.
Even like Glinda the Good Witch – “Only bad witches are ugly,” she comments -- we can neglect to fill people in with the knowledge we possess that would make their lives dramatically less complex.

(I’ll spare Toto harsh comparisons although he doesn’t do much more than dog around after the Yellow Brick Road Quartet. But, after all, he is a “real” four-legged dog doing what comes naturally, I guess.)

Still, setting that recap of foibles aside, let’s focus today on the trait that brought this all to mind: Courage.

As I type and right-click the word, my computer gives synonyms like bravery, guts, nerve, valor, daring, audacity, fearlessness, fortitude, spirit.

But those are just words that might replace the word “courage” in a sentence.

What concerns us daily in the real world when we’re trying to get past our Cowardly Lion mode is, I feel, the concept of “having the courage of one’s convictions.”

TGIM ACTION IDEA: More than “having courage” we want to be courageous; to act in accordance with what we believe, in spite of fear of danger -- or criticism.

We seldom need to prepare ourselves for the bravery required of first-responders or soldiers in combat. But we do need to summon courage to face individual fears that, at some level, are their equal. And we must face choices that, for a similar reason, are difficult for us and so require an extra level of courage and conviction to make without conforming or compromising.

Worse: We go up against many of these situations armed only with the school-yard axiom – “Be brave … but not stupid.”

Thanks a lot!

So maybe there’s a clue about “how to be courageous” in the little speech the Wizard makes before he grants the Cowardly Lion’s request for “Courage.”

The Wizard speechifies:

“As for you my fine friend, you are a victim or disorganized thinking.

You are under the unfortunate delusion that simply because you run away from danger you have no courage!

You are confusing courage with wisdom.

The Cowardly Lion
receives his
Triple Cross
Legion of Courage

Back where I come from we have men who are called heroes.

Once a year they take their fortitude out of mothballs and parade it down the main street of the city.

And they have no more courage than you have.

But, they have one thing that you haven't got!

A medal!!

Therefore, for meritorious conduct, extraordinary valor, conspicuous bravery against wicked witches, I award you the Triple Cross.

You are now a member of the Legion of Courage!”

Better, perhaps. But still not very actionable. So let’s conjure up some --

TGIM IDEAS IN ACTION: Here are a handful of proven-in-action courage-fortifying steps:

►Believe in yourself. Find yourself and your values and define yourself on your terms. Find the time to contemplate and challenge your ideals and take time to consider what makes up the essence of who you are. As part of this, reflect on your life and choices. Try to think about what kinds of things you would or wouldn't like to do, and prepare in advance to act accordingly.

►Surround yourself with people who understand and believe in you. Just like the Oz foursome. A courageous sense of self-value can be enhanced if you give yourself the opportunity to be part of a group that thinks it must do something. Believing in the worth of the skills and abilities you contribute is key to using them well and this is bolstered by the acknowledgement and compliments of those who care about you.

►Have a good attitude. When faced with something frightening, think of it as a challenge that can be changed into an opportunity. It’s clichéd in part because there’s great truth underlying it.

Even stronger, adjust your mindset and –

►Turn the challenge into a duty that you have to do. That’s the lesson of the mindset of first responders. When you have the courage of that level of conviction, you can just deal with situations that appear to call for extraordinary courage. When you do not have to question the circumstances … when you must face them, you suddenly find yourself reaching on reserves inside yourself that you probably didn't realize were there.

►Start with small things to gain confidence. Take less consequential, small steps and accept the challenge (opportunity/duty) of small choices to gain confidence in your ability to be courageous. Trust your instincts, skills and judgment and face the challenge head on.

►Don't hesitate. As you become secure in your ability to make good choices and thereby accomplish brave things, you can gain confidence in yourself and be more secure about your abilities in general. If you can swim and dive from the low board, taking too much of a pause before “taking the plunge” from a higher board doesn’t help. Climb up, quickly assess the situation for the simplest, safest option and go for it. Then build from there.

That’s about it for today’s TGIM. I’m going to be courageous and stop now so we all have the opportunity to test our newly enhanced skills.

Now everyone join with me and The Cowardly Lion and say in your best Bert Lahr voice --

“Read what my medal says: ‘Courage’. Ain't it the truth? Ain't it the truth?”