Courage

What is courage?  I’ve been thinking about this word a lot lately.  According to Merriam-Webster online, courage is “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere and withstand danger, fear or difficulty.  Dictionary.com ascertains that it is “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc without fear; bravery.”  Some synonyms that Merriam-Webster shares are “daring, intrepidity and gutsiness.”   

I think these definitions are partially correct.  My disagreement is with their presumption that courage is lacking fear.  In my experience, courage happens despite fear, not in the lack of fear.  What are your thoughts on that?  Can one be afraid and still demonstrate courage?

In fact, what does demonstrating courage mean? What does courage look like? Sometimes, courage is bold:  standing up to a bully comes to mind.  For those facing down an enemy, courage could very well be shown, even in this fearful situation. At other times, I think simple acts can show courage.  For someone facing a life battle, perhaps a debilitating disease, courage may simply be the act of getting out of bed in the morning.  Sometimes, putting a smile on one’s face and going out into the world is an act of courage.  

People often tell me that I am courageous for facing my disease and treatment head-on.  I’m not sure if it is courage or simply good old fashioned stubbornness.  Maybe that’s why I’ve been so focused on this word lately.  If it is courage, I hope it’s a model for others to follow.  However, even if it is, please know that it ebbs and flows.  Sometimes I feel ready to do battle just like those knights in their shiny suits of armor used to do.  Other times, I am mired in doubt and fear just as anyone could expect one to be.  That’s when I think the real courage takes place.  It’s also why I dispute the definitions above:  it’s in the moments of greatest fear, when one has to decide to continue moving forward, that I think courage rears its head.  Even in the face of difficulties and fear, deciding to embrace the situation and continue working for change seems like a courageous act to me.  And maybe that’s what people mean.  I do know that their words give me hope and make me want to do more.  In that, there is appreciation.  

When do you feel that you are at your most courageous?

Comments

Post a Comment

All comments will be reviewed prior to appearing on the blog.

Popular posts from this blog

Revised Perspective

Image
There’s a lot going on right now…. Have you ever found yourself telling that to someone?  It seems to me that we could start every conversation, at any time, with that phrase.  It’s true, isn’t it?  There is ALWAYS a lot going on.  Some of it good, some of it great, and some of it far less pleasant than we could hope for.  It’s for this reason that I don’t usually begin conversations with the aforementioned phrase.   Worse than redundancy is the fact that in so saying we are focusing on the negative aspects of our life.  Yes, we need to vent sometimes, and venting is usually about the negative.  It’s alright to talk all of that out.  Doing so is a healthy response to stressors and difficulties.  But even in the context of addressing difficulties, this phrase continues to bother me.  I feel like it drags us into the middle of pain, drama, confusion, etc.  That’s not the plane in which I want to exist. So, when I feel like there ...
Read more

Productively serving others

Image
What activities make you feel the best?  I am happy when I can be productive in a way that serves others.      That poses a challenge for me these days.  When I worked as an educator, I truly felt that I was making a difference each day. These days, I have to be creative in order to achieve that same level of helping.  When looking for ways to fill a day, I have always found that the most rewarding tasks were those that supported others.  Some of my favorite jobs were those that allowed me to teach others a skill that they could then use to improve their own work.  Even hobbies seem more fun when they result in some form of assistance.  In fact, I think that our purpose in life is to do things for others.   What about you?  What do you do on a daily basis that supports or helps others? Does your work allow you to do so? Or perhaps you have hobbies or creative outlets that provide this outcome.  If you are reading this with skep...
Read more