Recently I encountered1 the following quote from Pope Leo XIII. (Nope, that’s not the current Leo.)
“Nothing emboldens the wicked so greatly as the lack of courage on the part of the good.”
To explore the quote with Tarot, I shuffled my deck while contemplating Pope Leo’s words, and drew The Moon.
Beware of hidden danger.
The Moon asks, who is truly the most dangerous, the wicked person, or the otherwise good person who could stop the wicked, or at least speak out against the wicked?
Do we not, as Pope Leo suggests, encourage the wicked in their evil acts if we lack the courage to step in or speak out?
If we see an evil act being committed, or a wicked person harming an innocent, do we not have a positive duty to do what we can to stop it? If we see the rights of the weak being trampled by the strong, do we not have a positive duty to speak for justice?
We all learned, I think, as small school children that a bully unconfronted will continue bullying, but a bully confronted will back down.
Isn’t that the simple lesson conveyed by the quote above?
A simple childhood lesson, perhaps made more difficult to remember as we age.
I’ve included a voice over with this post.
A word of warning, I’ve got a bit of an odd voice!
Please let me know what you think in the poll below:
This post really resonates with my thought of those brave and loving souls who sailed along the flotilla to deliver aid to the victims in Gaza. All members were well aware that Israel continues to commit crimes against humanity and unalienable rights. Unfortunately they were intercepted on international waters and illegally apprehended. Nevertheless, that is bravery - putting human compassion above self - even if their own life is taken.
The unconfronted bully will keep on keeping on. I’ve learned the hard way the enemy almost always comes from your own home.