Confidence

                           CONFIDENCE

           Confidence is contagious. It can spread just as wildly as fear throughout a population, if we but encourage it. Ask any military commander. He will tell you how valuable confidence, in their own ability, is as an asset to his unit. And why should we, as individuals during these difficult times, be confident you might ask?

            Well, for one thing, because we live in one of the richest, most capable societies on the planet. Look around you. The population is well educated for the most part. It is well fed and healthy, again for the most part. And most of the people I grew up with aren’t afraid of anything. If trouble comes their way, it just might find itself booted right back where ever it came from. That isn’t arrogance. It is just knowing that you can depend on those hardy souls to have your back in a tight situation.

           Collectively, we need to project that confidence outward. There are a few dozen people that I have met in my career, that I know would cheerfully tackle a tornado, if it meant saving their friends and family. My dad, and his gallant band, of the Knights of the Hook and Ladder firefighters, made a career out of rushing into fires to save people as part of their jobs. I don’t think any of these folks know the meaning of the word fear.

           In the Movie “Apollo 13” there is a wonderful scene. The moon -bound space craft was crippled and in trouble. Many in NASA bemoaned the possibility of losing the three astronauts. The NASA flight director, calmly told all assembled that not only did he think that this situation was not a disaster, he thought that it might be NASA’s finest hour, if they settled down and worked the problem. The estimable Director was right. Capable and confident men and women in NASA worked the problem and brought the crippled space craft back to a successful splash down. Confidence brought those men home.

          Nightly, we see courageous men and women tackling the Corona virus in hospital wards, on the streets and in research labs. They don’t think about failure. They have too much real work to do to solve the problem. This isn’t arrogance, just confidence in their superb educations and training.

          Individually, we have to project this confidence across all of the  nations as well. If we work the problem, help each other out, we will come through this together to a successful splash down. If I could play an inspirational anthem, as you read this missive, it might help. Be the stalwart in your family. Be the steady rock upon which others depend. You have it within you to be like the film character Rocky Balboa gritting it out in the fifteenth round, if you but reach inside yourself for the resolve and determination that you know that you possess. 

        Do this, and we will all come out of Corona on the other side.

                                             -30-

                                     (506 words)

                              Joseph Xavier Martin