“One Of The Most Cowardly Things Ordinary People Do Is To Shut Their Eyes To Facts”

This is a quote C. S. Lewis writes in his book The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, a book in his famous Chronicles of Narnia book series. This quote illustrates that some of the worst things you can do can be passive. In this case, shutting yourself off to truth is cowardly.

Sure, ignoring facts and reality can be cowardly. You ignore something unpleasant that you have to do. You pretend a threat or challenge isn’t there so you don’t have to confront it. Procrastinating can be an instance where you shut your eyes to reality.

But why should shutting your eyes to reality be considered one of the most cowardly things a person can do? Because shutting your eyes to reality is the base for most cowardly actions. Aside from instances where you recognize a threat and their stakes, and decide not to engage, cowardice largely comes from ignoring reality.

Cowardice almost always manifests itself in not confronting a problem or not taking a risk when necessary. Why do people not confront a problem or take a necessary risk? Generally it is because they have convinced themselves that doing so is not necessary, even when it is. When you convince yourself that you don’t need to do something, when you actually do, what is that? It is shutting your eyes to facts.

What is another form of cowardice? It’s not taking a side. As we know, in the world, things are not black and white. Very often, the most difficult situations are over conflicts that are not immediately clear. Many people do not want to take a side on something that is complex. Or they just don’t want to take a side or a stand, because that involves harsh disagreement.

That kind of thinking, while understandable, leads to so many people not acting when action is necessary. They shut their eyes to the fact that you must take a stand. Even on issues that are not simple. Choosing to stay neutral when action must be taken is an act of cowardice.

It is also true that when you shut your eyes off to facts, you ignore your own flaws that need to be remedied. We all have things about ourselves that we need to improve. But doing so requires an honest look into ourselves that is usually uncomfortable. Much easier to just ignore those problems. But when you ignore them, not only do you not improve, it hurts you even more down the line.

“One of the most cowardly things ordinary people do is to shut their eyes to facts.” While this quote came from a somewhat minor character in C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, it is certainly applicable to the world today.