The courage to speak up

This may sound a little strange at first, but bear with me — I'll get to the point. I had a great week, everything was going well, until that one moment when I had to start thinking. And it didn't ruin my week. Quite the opposite — it made it even better.

So, I watched Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (don't judge me, but I'm not a huge fan of this genre — I've never seen any of the following Harry Potter movies or Lord of the Rings, for that matter). I watched it simply to make my sister happy. That was the only reason. But towards the end of the movie, one of the main characters said something that stuck with me: "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."

The first thing I want to say is that I never said it's easy to stand up to our enemies. I know it's hard, and we often have to do it, unfortunately. But standing up to our friends — for those who have never done it — they don't know how difficult it can be.

I remember one time when a friend said something to me that really touched me. Looking back, I'm grateful that they told me, but at that moment, it really hurt. It was something I didn't want to hear but needed to hear. Standing up to friends, challenging them when they're wrong, or confronting them about something that's been bothering you, can be one of the hardest things to do. But it's also one of the most important things. It takes courage to face those closest to you, especially when you're afraid it might damage the relationship.

What I've learned from that experience, and from this movie quote, is that bravery doesn't always look like a fight. Sometimes it's about having the courage to speak uncomfortable truths, even when it's hard to do. We often think of bravery as something that happens in extreme situations, but it's also about the small moments — the decisions we make to stand up for ourselves, for our friends, or even for what's right.

So, take a moment to think about it. You never know how something as simple as a sentence from a children's movie, a cartoon, or even an anime, can touch your heart or help you in your life. Sometimes wisdom comes from unexpected places.