The Courage To Be

Is the title of a book by Paul Tillich - Named one of the Books of the Century by the New York Public Library

“Were I to choose the most significant book in religion published in the second half of the twentieth century, my choice would fall easily upon Paul Tillich’s The Courage to Be.”—Peter J. Gomes

I am a person that loves observing people and I have spent some time recently reflecting on the people that I know quite well.

I have some that I immediately feel that I know them well and yet we've only been together ten minutes. You meet them and immediately feel that you can share things with them and they won't take what you say the wrong way.

Then there have been the shocks from people that I thought I knew well, having spent time with them over a period of many years. However I was to find that when I tried to relate to them in what I thought was going to be an easy interaction, then a totally unexpected emotional volcano opened up. It seemed that I had touched deep emotions that were hidden deep below the surface. I got the full brunt of the explosion.

Thus I reflect about the warning messages that I should have picked up.

One, I think, is that some find it very difficult to let their hair down and subconsciously adopt ways of hiding what is really going on deep inside. Others aren't afraid of showing how they feel about something so you can easily pick up on disapproval even when it is still only a mild one.

There are two types of people I'm wary of - those that have a deadpan expression whenever you tell them something - there isn't a flicker of agreement or disagreement - their reaction is not visible at all and then surprisingly those that smile a lot - surely they can't be that happy all the time - can they?

Here is someone we all know who clearly has little to hide. We can read her like a book it would seem!

She is at the moment one of the most powerful - meaning influential - people in the world : the German Angela Merkel. She features in The Guardian - reflections section today.

One could say that in her hands lies the financial future of Europe and maybe even the western world. Someone we hope is rock solid emotionally.

Yet she is someone I would trust over and above many others.

But could we, the British, cope with such a personality as head of government?