The concept of courage can mean many things, to many people. For some, being courageous means standing up to injustice and fighting for change, while for others, being courageous means helping those who fight for change for the well-being of all. But what most people don't know about courage is that they have to be courageous enough to be the change they want to see in their society and government. If individuals do not change themselves for the better and criticize others for doing the same, they have no right to preach the need for change. To improve the future of the common good, individuals must seek change within themselves before asking for change from society and government, because everyone must agree to do what needs to be done for the greater good, fight temptation and rely on outsiders, to instill these changes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Nothing is easy for a leader because he has to carry the weight/burden of difficult decisions that need to be made, so the people who are struggling to not have them too. And leaders must be courageous enough to stand up and fight for the change they want to see, to ensure the safety of the common good. The fictional character Clarke Griffin from the book and television series The 100 by Jason Rothenberg, also continually has to make difficult decisions revolving around the safety of her people and vows to never let them bear the burden of the things that have been done in to ensure their safety, “I put up with it so they don't have to do it too” (Rothenberg). Although the pressure of having to make difficult decisions weighs heavily on Clarke, she wouldn't dare ask anyone to help her solve her problem because she cares too much about her people. She cares so much about their well-being and mental/emotional state of mind that she is willing to completely ignore her own, which is why Clarke Griffin is a great leader; she is brave enough to darken her soul so that that of her people remains pure. When you spark a revolution that will ultimately improve everyone's future (regardless of race, sexual orientation, or class), you need to make hard decisions and tough decisions (like deciding who is worth saving, who is superfluous, who is a responsibility, etc.). Without someone to take the initiative and face the difficulties that come with life, there will be no order and all humanity will be lost. Breaking the law and doing things that may seem wrong, but will ultimately make society a better place, should not be considered crimes. If it ensures the safety and well-being of society and future generations, so be it. Even Guy Montag (who is also a hero who stands up and fights for change) from the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury had to do unspeakable things so that the people of the future would never be harmed by the people he eliminated. Guy killed another character (along with several others) named Beatty who tried to stop Guy's plan to restore books into people's lives again. The boy killing Beatty can be seen as multiple things: a mercy killing, a vengeful killing, etc., but ultimately Montag killed Beatty so he couldn't hurt anyone else. Beatty, the Hound, and the rest of Guy's fire crew (along with his house) had to leave because they represented the old ways of life and Montag couldn't let them continue to be reminded of what keeps them from thriving as still apeople: “Beatty, he thought, now you're no longer a problem. You always said: don't face a problem, burn it. Well, now I've done both” (Bradbury 115). Guy will forever feel guilty for killing everyone and the "mess" he made, but he knew that what he did was for the greater good and had to be done. Being true to oneself and established morals is crucial for anyone who is trying to change themselves for the greater good and for which they strive. Values ​​keep people grounded and healthy, without them there would be no order within society. Individuals may be surrounded by people who are too afraid or don't care enough to stand up for what they know is right, but that should not discourage individuals from doing the right thing. When people feel that something happening around them is not right, it is their duty to bring it to the attention of others and try to change things for the better. In the article “Like No One Is Watching” by Beverly Flaxington, she explains what it means to be a good person and what she does in the face of injustice, even if others don't support her: “Sometimes doing the right thing can bring criticism from others of others." people, including those whose perspective is important to you. However, you must remember that no one else lives your life… In the end, the only person who has to deal with your conscience is just you” (psychologytoday.com). The only person who has to care about the decisions that person has made is that person, so if others don't approve of the things that person does it shouldn't bother them at all. They have to live their life for themselves. Guy also struggles to stay true to who he really is and figure out what he values ​​in life. When he is considering whether or not to pursue his knowledge and understanding of books, he is a key example of values ​​and what they mean to people. Guy began to enjoy books [long before the reader realized it] even though it was against the law. He knew that one day it would be up to him to collect the books he had collected over time and discover the meaning of each one so that he could one day share knowledge even with those who are ignorant: “No one listens anymore. I can't talk to the walls because they're screaming at me. I can't talk to my wife; listen to the walls. I just want someone to listen to what I have to say. And maybe if I talk long enough, it will make sense. And I want you to teach me to understand what I read” (Bradbury 78). Guy is begging Faber to teach him the meaning of books because he knows (deep down) that there is something about books that changes them in a way that makes themselves and everyone around them more pleasant. And these are the kinds of changes necessary for a prosperous society and a government full of honest people who value integrity. When people are driven only by temptation and idiotic solutions that ultimately end up harming the individual and everyone around them, there is no structure and people begin to live selfish and dangerous lives. Having integrity is crucial when you want to ask for change to help improve the lives of society, because it shows that you are in the right frame of mind and do not need development to help you prepare for the change that is sure to come. If a person lacks integrity and clamors for change within society and government, nothing will ever improve. Improvement will never happen because that person must be willing to see that change must occur within themselves before they can change anything else. Not having important and meaningful values ​​sets everyone up for failure, because they have nothing to live for. In the article "What matters most in life?" by Dennis Prager, explains howpeople can never change and improve if they have nothing meaningful to live for: “Almost everything that is wrong in the world comes from people who do not have higher moral values, or who do not live by them, because they feel they want to do something 'other” (prageru.com). When individuals begin to realize that what is wrong in the world can (and most likely) stem from them, the world will ultimately be a better place because everyone will be more aware of their actions. The acts of anger further demonstrate the fact that Guy is the perfect person to lead the "rebellion" and demand change for those around him (and himself) because he is not afraid to express his opinion to the people he knows. This means that he cares deeply about making things right once and for all and saving the people of the city from themselves. While Mildred (Montag's wife) and her friends watch television and converse with each other, Guy gets really angry at what he hears. After hearing enough of their ridiculously selfish conversations, he decides to speak out and confront the women about their absurd behavior. Montag calling women out on their selfish and frivolous actions really ties into the idea of ​​having a moral that people live by every day to perfectly change the systems of society and government. If everyone lived as they wanted, without morals and without remorse, society and government would immediately deteriorate. People need structures and rules to live by, to ensure everyone's morality, safety and mental security. Go home, Montag stared at her in silence. Go home and think about your first divorced husband and your second husband killed in a jet and your third husband who blew his brains out, go home and think about the dozen abortions you've had, go home and think to that and your damned caesarean sections, too, and your children who hate your guts! Go home and think about how this happened and what did you ever do to stop it? (98).Guy could no longer hide his disgust for indifferent women and truly opened his eyes to the reality that Guy had recently been introduced to. From time to time, it is necessary to remind people of morality and values ​​in order to change both their lives and themselves for the better. Montag needed to hear those women speak out and chastise them for their horrible actions, to show him the brutal truth of what life is really like for them, and to further motivate him to do what needs to be done. He just needs the help of a wise old retired English teacher to point him in the right direction (figuratively and literally). Anonymity is one of the main reasons why people talk to strangers. There is a sense of security that comes from telling secrets to strangers, because ultimately the stranger can't use your secret against you because they don't know you. When people turn to strangers to talk about important things that have happened to them or in their lives, it normally means that they are too afraid or unwilling to share what has happened to them with close friends or family. Individuals may not be able to trust or feel comfortable with those they share "intimacy" with, so they confide in strangers who are unable to judge them because the stranger does not know the individual personally. People may also need to talk to someone they know will give them good advice. In the article “Why don't we confide in the people closest to us? by Bella DePaulo Ph.D, provides statistics on why people confide in strangers rather than people they are familiar with, "20% of the time, participants said they were looking for someone with particularexpertise or intuition. These included doctors, therapists, spiritual leaders, and personal advisors, including financial advisors” (psychology.com). When you talk freely to someone trustworthy (who won't judge you) it can be very liberating. It could be just the right amount of motivation and/or inspiration an individual needs to go out and change the world for the better. But no one can change the world alone; others must also be willing to change within themselves. If everyone talked to each other about their problems and had a little faith, they would be able to save themselves from the injustice they suffer every day. Guy, expressing his (and everyone else's) dissatisfaction with life to Faber represented a sense of self-discovery that he had never experienced before. He needed someone to sit and listen to all the despair that has plagued their world, so they could come to some sort of resolution: “We have everything we need to be happy, but we're not happy. Something is missing. I looked around. The only thing I knew for sure was that the books I had burned over ten or twelve years were gone. So I thought books might help” (Bradbury 78). Confessing that the lives they live are not as pleasant as everyone makes them seem is very important to Guy's development because it shows that he is changing to be the person he needs to be, to change everyone else so they can finally start living the their life. he lives as well. Seeing the misery around him is what pushes him to go out and try to change things before it's too late. Guiding individuals who rely on those they rarely know to help them fight for justice is critical when trying to fight for change in a community, a society, and a government. This act is crucial because it shows that strangers can unite and fight for the same cause even if they don't know each other, because they know they are fighting for the right thing. In the academic journal “Standing Up to Violence” by Craig Sautter, he told the story of the young James Darby who asked President Clinton to stop the spread of violence that had plagued his city, just days before he was killed. Even though James was only nine years old, he knew that someone had to speak out about the injustice that was happening in his town, which is why his story is so meaningful to those who want to make a difference in the world: "I want to stop the killings in city... I think someone might kill me. I'm kindly asking you to stop. I know you can do it" (Phi Delta Kappan). millions of people who could have been killed later. After his death, Clinton invested five billion dollars in youth programs that would contribute to the dramatic decline in child victims in his city. James will forever be remembered as a leader who accomplished the He made the ultimate sacrifice to save others in need and ultimately became the change he wanted to see in the world, just like a character named Clarisse McClellan from Fahrenheit 451. Little things like asking questions and simply bringing other people's attention to things that need to be changed can be just the right amount of “push” someone needs to start a rebellion or become the change they want to see in their society and government. Clarisse questioned Guy about his life and what it means to him. Questioning Montag about his job and finally asking him if he was happy with his life is similar to little James' appeal to President Clinton. Clarisse asked him about his happiness because she knew he wasn't happy with what.