I hate a coward. I started reading Will Smith's autobiography and he described himself as a coward. I had to force myself to continue reading because I can't relate or understand a coward.
I was never given the choice or chance to be a coward or maybe I just never allowed myself to be one.
Being a coward is a cop out. You bow out of the fight because of fear. You let someone else do your dirty work while you hide in the wings waiting to see the outcome. Me? I take my licks, I face my fears, I deal with my consequences. I would never let anyone be the blame or take the pain for something I made the choice to do.
My stepfather told me respect means everything and to be respected you have to walk with integrity and stand on your word. Sometimes people won't like you for those things but they will have to respect that you are comfortable in your beliefs, ideas, and decisions. They will know if you did something it's because you believed in what you did, right, wrong, or misguided.
With a coward you never know. They will tell you they love you and the whole time they are telling everyone else how much they despise you. They will knowingly put people they love in positions to do things that are completely against their own integrity and character.
Cowards don't care as long as the fake identity they've created for themselves remains in tact. The good guy, the nice person.
My Pop used to say, if everyone likes you, you are doing something wrong. Either you are fake or someone else is. We are humans with different personalities, we won't all get along.
A coward thrives on everyone liking them. They want to please everyone. They want to be perceived as some sort of hero. They are fake.
And I am authentic.
That's why, I can't stand a coward.