Selfishness vs. Courage

I find myself wanting to post a quote from Bob Schultz’s Boyhood and Beyond almost every day as we read through the book (see previous post). There is a wealth of wisdom here, and it stimulates good conversation. Today we read the chapter titled, “Leadership,” where he drew from the story of Ernest Schackleton, a story I have related to the boys before.

Here are two strong excerpts from his application:

“Many boys are said to be shy. Their parents explain why their son did not say thank you or hello with the excuse, “Joey is just being shy today.” The truth is that Joey is just caught up in himself. Joey thinks too much of his own feelings and thoughts to consider someone else. Joey is simply selfish.” (111)

“Do you want to be a man with courage like Shackleton? Your biggest hindrance is selfishness. The selfish are not courageous. You must become a man who thinks of others. It is not waiting for some big chance to save lives that makes a hero; a hero is made by thinking of others in everyday situations.” (113)