currr-age!

The cowardly lion, from the "Wizard of Oz", sang a song about finding the courage to just stop being afraid of everything. His fears of the world around him, finally became an obstacle to his finding his dreams and wishes. So to help rid himself of self imposed demons, the Lion sang about finding his COURAGE to move on, to jump the next hurdle.

Recently I watched a commercial which had the word courage flashing in the back ground as we saw athletes from the Special Olympics participating in their individual sport. We were told they were courageous, and heros, and special, like in the Special Olympics. We were informed that with the courage to catch a ball, balance on a beam, run the track and field these disadvantaged youth would most likely spend their days just growing older and weaker, less healthy, and collecting dust.

I viewed a documentary on the Stonewall riots and was told by the narrator that if not for the courageous acts and push back by the gay men at the Stonewall Bar, the LGBT movement would be even further behind in its accomplishments and advances then we are so far. That without their (the gays of the Stonewall Bar) stand against brutality, bigotry, and bullying many modern LGBT might not even find the freedom to hold hands in public, work in jobs such as education, or government; and that many LGBT individuals would have remained alone and lonely in the closet.

The program "Black in America Part 2 airs on CNN and in the previews of the series we are constantly told how courageous the African Americans of the 60's had to be to let America know and understand that bigotry and hate had to end. Had they (the Negroes of the time) not refused to not sit in the back of the bus, or drink from any water fountain, or settled for second class citizenship, they might still be living a MORE segregated and confined life in a democratic America.

No one it seems ever states that if it were not for prejudice, religious dogma, fear of difference, ignorance, unrealistic standards of what should be right or correct, hate, bigotry, scapegoating; gays, blacks,disabled Americans would not need the courage to just be themselves. That without all of the baggage laid on the doorsteps of minorities in this country, courage to live a life the way you want to live a life, would not be courageous, but normal and expected.

When I finally realized I was a gay man, and that the world would not end in admitting such, and that I actually loved myself and told those who mattered WHO I AM, I was greeted with, "...wow that took courage..."

COURAGE!? For whom? COURAGE so others could feel that I was lesser than they, so they could welcome me into their so called "normal world". COURAGE to admit who I was because all around me I was told I was different? COURAGE to find my fair place in society without being laughed at, called names, feared? Courage to live in country which brags about fair and equal!?

Perhaps those who still think that the Disabled, or Blacks or LGBT populations need to prove themselves, to become like "normal" people, are the ones who need to find the COURAGE to say to themselves, I am stupid, I am prejudiced, I am ignorant, I am afraid. I need to change.

Courage is admitting that I am afraid of difference, because if I no longer have anyone to look down at I may have to take a good long look at myself and I may not like what I see in the mirror. It is I who lack courage to face some truths.

I am so tired of hearing how courageous so many people are when in fact all they want to do is live a simple and very average life, like so many others try to do.

"...if I only had some CURRR-AGE..." GROWL, ROAR, PURR!