In 1911, a man called "Stone" (the name simply means a man in his language ) , believed to be the last Aki man, emerged from the field 44 years later.
He was photographed by anthropologists from Oroville, San Francisco, California, working with a group of people who wanted to learn more about Shi's language and culture.
When the train pulled in and took him to San Francisco, Shi went silently behind the pillar. Confused, the researcher waved to him, and Heshi joined them on the train.
They questioned him later, and he said his men had seen black smoke, faces seen through the windows of the noisy train winding through the valley for years. Ben Yashi always believed that it was a man-eating demon.
The researcher asks, if this is what he believes, how could he possibly muster the courage to get on board?
Stone's response is:
"Well, my life has taught me to be more curious than afraid."
I first read this story at the beginning of your book by Pema Chodron : A Guide to Living a Compassionate Life. Stone's story is sad and complex, but he hits people who knew him at the end of his life as remarkably calm, measured, and kind.
His words never left me - they hit me as a true motto for a life worth living.
Fast forward decades. Last summer, I was doing an "Ask Me Anything" conference with Andy Crestodina in Chicago and someone asked me:
"Where did you get your courage?"
I really think this is an interesting Latest Mailing Database question. I told her I didn't consider myself particularly brave. Actually, I say I'm scared most of the time.
But if Shi, who survived so much that he outlived all his men, would be more curious than scared, I never thought I had too many excuses for hiding, just because things terrified me .
In pursuit of beauty and rocky paths
When you find the courage to share your true voice, I can almost guarantee you will one day, when you ask yourself:
What are you thinking about?
There will be trolls, goosebumps, delusional people, and the occasional idiot.
People will question your motives, your abilities, your scruples, your beliefs, your body fat composition, and what you're wearing.
I'm not going to tell you it doesn't matter because it probably won't help. If you could shrug this stuff so easily, you probably wouldn't click through to read this article.