Acts of Courage and Acts of Faith

“Nothing of consequence gets accomplished without courage.” I heard this phrase from Malcolm Gladwell in the first season´s closing episode of his incredible (really, incredible) podcast, Revisionist History.

In one of the episodes of this season, “Food Fight,” Gladwell tells the story of Bowdoin College and Vassar College,      “two elite schools competing for the same students”.

Bowdoin College is proud to be the school with the best food in America. Vassar College does not serve the best food, rather something else. And they are proud of it too.

Why?

At some point, Vassar College decided to increase the budget to allow more students from low-income families to come to Vassar. How much? By 140%!

This increase in resources destined to support these families meant a cut in other school services, including food.

In the episode, the students at Vassar College gladly accept this, because they understand that it serves the purpose of addressing the social gap in America and it´s worth it.

What did it take for Vassar College to make this change?

First, easy, they could. Second, easy, desire.

Third: Courage.

After all, Vassar could lose status, or lose families with the economic power to take their children to other schools with more amenities and, therefore, lose the resources to support the subsidy for poor families.

But someone looked the risks in the face and said:

Yes, we will go ahead. Because it is the right thing to do, because it is what we believe we should do; and then we will hope for the best. (I'm not quoting anyone, that's how I imagine what happened)

In the next episode, “My Little Hundred Million,” Gladwell states that Ivy League universities have enough money to pay for all their students’ tuition for many, many years. And yet, they are the most expensive universities in the world.

They could do it, and they might want to do it. But would anyone have the courage to try?

The act of faith, the act of hoping that the best will happen, that things will change for the better, that things will get better;      it's fine on its own. Sometimes, when believing is in fact the only thing to do, it is the only possible thing. But in all other situations, is meaningless without an act of courage.

An act of courage always requires being accompanied by an act of faith          because if it wasn't necessary to face uncertainty and hope for the best, it would not be an act of courage.

Acts of courage are necessary and urgent to give meaning to life and to make this a better world.

I refuse to look back one day and say:

“Andrés was the man who      conformed at school, then conformed in college, and then conformed for the rest of his life.”

I think we should all refuse to do that.

When I think about the reasons why I became an entrepreneur (or something like that), one of them is to be able to tell myself that I tried, with all my heart, with everything I had to give. That I tried for myself, and also to make the world a better place.

I want to be able to look my son in the eyes and tell him I tried. Much more than that, I want to tell him that I succeeded.

I want to be able to look my son in the eyes and tell him that he will receive a better place to live from me

Above all, I want to feel like I can look my son in the eyes.

On a day-to-day basis, when you face the challenges of work, when you are faced with conflict situations, When it comes to putting food on your family's plate, paying for school and rent... It all gets a little blurrier.

But I believe life is about much more than surviving. Even much more than just progress. It is also about being better, doing better, and doing the best.

To begin with, I believe it is possible to start by treating others with humanity. Especially at work. Especially if you are a leader.

It sounds obvious and is said easily, but it is an act of courage.

PS. Thank you Ana Maria Torres for your insights and wonderful editorial work you did with this post.