The brave and the cowardly

Who are the brave and who are the cowardly in relationships?

Sometimes it is the cowardly who tend to pretend to be brave, and the brave who are misunderstood as being cowardly.

How often have we been guilty of not wanting to take the first step in resolving an argument in a relationship? We often rationalize and justify our behaviour by saying things like:

"It's his/her fault. Why should I take the first step? If I take the first step, it will seem it is always my fault, and then he/she will always keep taking advantage of me. I have to be brave and stand firm on my ground, I'll wait for him/her to apologize first. If he/she doesn't apologize first, then he/she probably isn't worth my time. I need to protect myself."

Are they really being brave? I personally think that these are the cowardly.

The brave are the ones that are not afraid to look stupid by taking the first step to apologize, regardless of whether they think they have done any wrong or not. The brave are the ones that are not afraid to bare their soul and expose themselves to the other half, to allow their hearts to be at the mercy of the other half, for good or for bad. They are brave because they are willing to risk their heart being trampled on by making themselves vulnerable, because they know that by being vulnerable they also allow the other half to shower them with more love and tenderness. They are not afraid to be hurt, because they know they can always pick themselves up again.

The cowardly are those that are so afraid of letting their heart get hurt, they unconsciously build a huge impenetrable wall around their heart. A wall so thick and impenetrable, that although they manage to keep people from hurting their hearts, they also hide the bright glow of their hearts from the view of others. They are forever hiding behind that wall, afraid to open their hearts to anyone, and they will ultimately end up being lonely, and deserted. And cowards will remain just that. Cowards.

Remember to ask yourself about the brave and the cowardly the next time you run into an argument with someone you love dearly.

Are you brave, or are you cowardly?