The Paradox of Courage and Truth

Even the bravest only rarely have the courage for what they really know. It’s time to rise to the challenge.

Possibly Odin followed by a Berserk Warrior. By Unknown author — Oscar Montelius, Om lifvet i Sverige under hednatiden (Stockholm 1905) s.98, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4013472

Courage is often lauded in popular culture as the virtue of warriors, emergency workers, and adventurers, those who dare to leap into the unknown. yet, the true battlefield lies within the realm of our convictions. Do we possess the courage to face the truths that gnaw at our consciousness?

The Veil of Ignorance and Self-deception

Photo by Arthur Podzolkin on Unsplash

Being human requires that we are perpetually ensnared in a web of self-deception. We construct colourful narratives to shelter our egos from the frigid winds of truth. It is time to peel away those layers of illusions we’ve adorned our lives with. For beneath the veneer of self assuredness lies a trembling vulnerability –an aversion to the truths about who we are, the world we in inhabit, and the nature of existence that we dare not confront.

• The Illusion of Knowledge: We parade our beliefs triumphantly as if they were indubitable truths, rarely pausing to truly scrutinize the foundations upon which they stand