Is there anything you will die for?

What are you prepared to die for? Are you prepared to die for you beliefs? Are you prepared to die for the people you care about? An interesting core question which was raised to me by an old friend. He's a wise older man, well into 60s with a soul that's teetering with lived experiences and a heart that is so straight it bends.

I answered immediately, nothing. I thought of my past, I would have answered with a triumph "yes!", knowing these types of sensationalism-inciting questions were my domain, conditioned with years of 'feel good' type shows, stories and movies. Friends in my past would have said they would take a knife for a friend, and so on. Very few meant it. Including myself. So for me to immediately answer no, I have nothing in my life I would die for was a feeling of relief in maturity and realism.

I dabbled this thought as it stuck with me for the duration of the day and asked a very good friend who knows me very well. Until you face death in its eyes, these types of extreme scenario type questions cannot be accurately answered. He reminded me of the many times I have leapt up to stand up for what I believe is right. I remembered the times I felt my friend was wronged and I would drive up furiously to stand up and fight. There were many times. I questioned him and said, maybe it was ego? Maybe I just wanted to test myself and feel a thrill. But I mulled it over. He reminded me of the times where I would jump up to stop a fight on the street with words and calmness. Of the time in a restaurant where an aggressive man was threatening old shop keeper migrants. The times where I would stand up against a close friend, doing what was difficult but what I believed was ultimately for his best interest.

Had I been posed such a scenario prior to these events, my answer to what I would do hypothetically differed to what I actually do. Each time, I would jump up and stand for what I believe and care about with zero hesitation, spurred intensely with conviction to do what's right. I don't regret any of it.

So maybe, if the time ever comes and I come to the test, I can proudly fight with no fear of death, for my beliefs and what/who I care about. If that is the strength of my resolve, I can look back and remind myself just how far I am willing to go to make me and her work through thick and thin.