Courage and Stupidity

Courage

is knowing it might hurt

and stepping forward anyway.

Stupidity

is much the same thing.

The body leans into the dark

with only a guess for a lantern,

and the ground ahead

is always uncertain.

Sometimes you walk into glory.

Sometimes into a wall.

But no one standing safely behind you

ever learns the difference.

So we step.

We bruise.

We laugh a little at ourselves.

And that—

more than wisdom—

is why life is hard.