Courage

Courage to some may be different than to others. Each of has a story to tell about events that may progress to a full understanding of personal courage. Personal success is a major key in seeing the "big picture" and picking out how courage is played in different roles. Through my eyes courage is a burning desire to achieve not just to accomplish, but do whatever it takes to achieve success. I think that courage has an umbrella effect on every aspect of my life and reaches out to others that I have lead or helped along my life. A friend of mine named Jake Pautsch, brother to army casualty killed in action CPL Jason Graham Pautsch. Told me that" you have to have the courage necessary to take one foot out of the past, and take one foot out of the future or else you are pissing all over today." Jake demonstrated courage and the burning will to do whatever it takes to achieve. I remember jake showing hate in every emotion possible while he attended middle school, and high school. After a while he followed through with his gut feeling and took it upon himself to drop out of high school dispite others thoughts. He had the courage to forge into the unkown. Even though the success drop out rate was at a extremely unpromising. At the time the national drop out rate was at 12.9 percent. The success rate out of that 12.9 percent is 1/4 of those who withdraw from high school. He got a job right away out of high school,and saved his earning for a year and a half with hopes of founding his own business. Today Jake is 19 years old and is the owner of Difinity Companies in Davenport, Iowa. A service company that does fleet/domestic auto detailing, tire sales, and service/commercial hot water pressure washing. He has been a published writer since he was 12 years old. Along with being a highly watched person by the Quad city newspapers for his business and public persuasion abilities. In August 2003 an acticle that he wrote for the Quad City Times was published to get the city of Davenport, Iowa to think about building a free public skate park for BMX riders, Skateboarders, roller bladers. With extensive efforts by Jake and his entourage of highly respected national business personell at city counsel meetings, twelve year old Jake would speak publicly about this needed skatepark to hundreds of people. In 2006, 2.3 million dollars was budgeted for a design and construction of a 35,000 square foot skate park in downtown Davenport, Iowa. In the fall of 2007 the contruction was completed. Thousands have been continually visiting this highly acclaimed top rated national skate park.

Jakes story is just a tip of the iceberg as to where courage is present and where courage will take those who utilize it's imporatance. When the big picture of courage is present in ones mind a person can literally see where it comes into play. The possibilities of greatness are endless. As Jake also says" you have to have the faith in Jesus, courage, and the ability to believe dispite others opinions". Those who express courage undoubtedly, find an easier path to succeeding in America.

For this post on courage, I want to recognize anyone who takes part

in the sport of snowboarding.

Anyone who embraces the adrenaline rush before flying high into the air.

Those who put their body on the line for something that they love.

Those who grind all day on slippery pieces of metal waiting to be dominated.

There is nothing more that i can ask for on a beautiful

winter day than a lift ticket and my snowboard.

There are a select few that pursue this sport, partially because

of the money, but mostly because of the preparation.

Finding a perfect spot to snowboard can take quite awhile before found.

Whether it be a bench or hand rail found at a neighborhood

park or a snow complex such as our local snowstar.

I am ecstatic to use my new Burton Twin to do some serious shredding this year.

The 2010 season is upon us.

For this post I thought it was necessary to recoginize other people who have shown courage to it's greatest extent. Born in Cairo,Georgia in 1919 to a family of sharecroppers Jackie Robinson was subjected to prejuidce at a very young age. His mother and four other siblings made up the only african american family on the block that he grew up on. He gained extrodinary skill at playling sports as an adolescent. He later attended the University of California Los Angeles. While enrolled at this school Jackie was the only athlete that gained varsity letters in baseball, basketball, football, and track. After leaving the army with an honorable discharge, Jackie played one season in the negro aseball league. In 1947 Jackie became the first african american to play baseball in the major leagues since 1889. He gained titles such as rookie of the year, and as later inducted into the baseball hall of fame. "I guess you'd call me an independent, since I've never identified myself with one party or another in politics. I always decide my vote by taking as careful a look as I can at the actual candidates and issues themselves, no matter what the party label." This wa said by one of the most courageous people that have ever played sports. Jackie Robinson

Most of us view courage as small steps of herosim in our daily lives. A good portion of society takes the freedoms that god has given us for granted. It's the people that have a freedom stripped from them and still go day to day living their life that really experience courage. How would you react if you woke up and your vision was gone? If the freedom of viewing the vivid colors around your room was robbed from you? The only thing for miles and miles when driving on a beautiful country road was an endless black tunnel? How would you react? When thinking of the answers to the following questions I get a sudden appreciation for the ability to look at this very computer sceen. It would be nearly impossile to recognize every person who suffers from being blind, so I'm going to use a very famous person for an example. "When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us." This was stated by Helen Keller who in my opinion lived a life of courage.

This week my group of classmates and I will undergo the task of composing a research paper. We have chosen the topic of "Childrens Rights in Africa". This led me to think about a recent presentation in our school auditorium that was about Joseph Kony's child soldiers in Africa. The information that was forced into my brain was extremely depressing. Joseph Kony is a terrorist who kidnaps children from ages six to their later teen years, to forcefully join his rebellion. If the prisoners question the rebels, they will threaten to harm he or she that was taken, or their family. The cutting off of noses and ears were given as brutal examples. This information created an overcoming pit in my stomach. Why would one man terrorize thousands of innocent people? On therescue.com the creators of the site go in to great detail about why this man hasn't been stopped yet. I think that anyone who reads this should glance at this site and voice their opinion to the community around them.