Courage.

Hello, world.

I recently saw the new Tom Stoppard play on Broadway, and was transfigured. Stoppard plays are always based to some extent on philosophy or intellectualizing, and Rock 'N' Roll is no different. At the same time, it's so... emotional. An experience worth having.

From one character, Lenka, to another, Jan, at a lunch party in Cambridge:
"Don't come back, Jan. This place has lost its nerve. They put something in the water since you were here. It's a democracy of obedience. They're frightened to use their minds in case their minds tell them heresy. They apologise for history. They apologise for good manners. They apologise for difference. It's a contest of apology."

Courage is one of those words that one only finds in literature or old British movies. I think people may have forgotten what it means... if they knew at all to begin with. What does it mean to be courageous today? Is it being willing to go to jail for your beliefs, is it standing up for a stranger's rights even though s/he won't be grateful in the end, is it publishing an expose of corruption? Does courage come naturally once you believe in something enough? And heroism... is that an act of courage?

I'll end with another fantastic excerpt from Rock 'N' Roll, one that takes place several years before Lenka's comment:

Jan: The thing is, I don't feel grown-up enough for prison. That's one thing. I'm definitely afraid of prison.

Ferdinand: That's nothing to be ashamed of.

Jan: I'm not ashamed of it. [becomes accusing] It's normal to be afraid of prison. Normal people don't do things that might send them to prison. I can't even remember what you did, or who it was supposed to help. Of course, I understand it was for being heroic, I just forget the details. You must be bloody stupid going to prison for something I've forgotten before you come out, frankly. Heroism isn't honest work, the kind that keeps the world going round. It offends normal people and frightens them. It seems to be about some private the argument the heroes are having with the government on our behalf, and we never asked you.

Ferdinand: Relax, Jan.

Jan: Well, it's very annoying. Heroic acts don't spring from your beliefs. I believe the same as you do. They spring from your character. It's not the action of a friend to point out that your character is more heroic than mine. It pisses me off. Why do you do it? You'll be insufferable now.

Ferdinand: Do you complain to Jirous?

Jan: No, Jirous's character is heroic and there's nothing to be done about it. He was a heroic baby.