Foundation

Or... nothing.

Photo by Paul Kapischka on Unsplash

To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself. Thich Nhat Hanh

The man who believes
He is nothing
fights
for nothing,
stands
for nothing.

Courage:
the child
of self-worth,
born only when
The soul recognizes
its own
sacred weight.

Without the bedrock
of inner value,
bravery becomes
brittle glass—
one sharp word
shatters it
to dust.

Worth:
not earned
but recognized,
not built
but excavated
from the rubble
of old shame.

The coward
protects nothing
because he believes
nothing in him
merits protection.

But when a man
knows his measure—
not pride
but simple fact—
He will stand
in the door
of principle,
back straight
as a cathedral beam.

Courage
flows from the well
of self-respect
the way rivers
flow from mountains—
inevitable,
unstoppable.

Know your worth
And you will know
What's worth
defending.

The foundation
must be solid
before the tower
can reach
the sky.