How can you tell whether or not to take someone seriously?
The simplest test is to observe whether or not an individual is willing to suffer for his or her beliefs.
People who have paid a price in order to live up to what they believe are undergoing the kind of suffering that changes the world for the better.
As Paul Rosenberg says, If we’re not willing to suffer, at some level, anyone with a pin and threat will own us.
Here’s the bottom line: If you want to create positive change, you cannot go out of your way to avoid suffering.
For instance, if you fear losing money more than gaining liberty, you’re not going to get liberty.
If you’re not willing to be hated for the truth, you won’t encounter much truth either.
It really comes down to how badly we want something and what kind of price we’re willing to pay in order to have it.
If we want something badly enough, we find a way to make it happen.
But if our level of commitment is so shallow that an insult at a public meeting, or the threat of losing a job or contract would cause us to slink away in shame, we’re not really ready to change the world.
We have to be willing to put the truth above what the world’s rulers think and to do the right thing no matter what the world is saying.
We set ourselves free in the process.
Share this post