It is the nature, and the advantage, of strong people that they

Hear the solemn words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, martyr and prophet of his age: “It is the nature, and the advantage, of the strong people that they can bring out the crucial questions and form a clear opinion about them. The weak always have to decide between alternatives that are not their own.” These words are forged in fire, for they were spoken by one who stood in the shadow of tyranny, where the weight of choices was not abstract, but a matter of life and death. Bonhoeffer knew well the difference between the strong, who dare to shape the battlefield of thought, and the weak, who merely choose between paths laid before them by others.

The strong, he tells us, are not merely those with muscle or authority, but those with vision and moral clarity. Their nature is to pierce the fog of confusion and ask the questions that matter most: What is just? What is true? What must be done? While others are distracted by trivialities, they carve through illusion and fix their gaze on the heart of the matter. This is their advantage, for in a world where most are content to be led, the strong seize the right to think for themselves, and in doing so, they bend the destiny of nations.

The weak, by contrast, are not necessarily evil, but they are passive. They live by the choices handed to them, never daring to question whether those choices are just or sufficient. They are like pawns upon the board, moved by unseen hands, thinking themselves free because they may step left or right, never realizing that the game itself was designed by another. Their opinions are not truly their own; they echo what they have heard, repeat what they are told, and mistake submission for wisdom.

Consider Bonhoeffer himself. In the days of Nazi Germany, many intellectuals and churchmen contented themselves with deciding between the “lesser evils” presented to them—whether to remain silent or to offer mild protest, whether to preserve their own safety or risk discomfort. But Bonhoeffer was of the strong. He brought forth the crucial questions: Can one remain loyal to Christ and also loyal to Hitler? Can the Church of God stand by while innocent blood is shed? His answers were clear and unwavering. He chose resistance, even though it led him to imprisonment and death. His moral clarity became a light in the darkness, while the weak were swallowed by compromise.

History gives us more examples. Socrates in Athens, when asked to abandon his pursuit of truth, did not weigh the easy alternatives of exile or silence. He asked the higher questions: What is justice? What is virtue? What is life without truth? He drank the hemlock rather than betray his principles. In doing so, he became immortal, remembered not for submission but for strength. Meanwhile, countless others of his time, who chose between safe alternatives, are lost to memory. The strong shape history; the weak are carried by its tides.

The lesson is thus: do not live as one who merely accepts the choices placed before you. Ask your own questions, and form your own opinions. Strength of soul is not found in obedience to the crowd, but in the courage to see clearly and to act accordingly. The world will often try to trap you between false alternatives—between fear and comfort, between silence and complicity. Do not be deceived. Seek the higher ground where truth resides, and there plant your standard.

Practically, this means cultivating independence of thought. Read deeply, question boldly, and examine every choice you are offered. Ask: “Who created these alternatives, and why? Are these truly the only paths?” Dare to create your own course, if conscience demands it. And above all, cultivate the courage to stand by your convictions, even when they cost you dearly. This is the way of the strong—to live not as an echo, but as a voice.

Remember always: the strong bring forth the questions that matter, while the weak merely choose between the answers handed to them. Be of the strong. Ask. Think. Decide. Act. For only those who dare to claim their own clarity can lead others out of darkness, and only those who refuse false choices can live—and die—as free men and women.