About Courage

About Courage

(By: Jojo C. Pinca)

Introduction

Courage is defined by Meriam-Webster on-line dictionary as "mental or moral strength to venture, persevere and withstand danger, fear or difficulty". In essence courage is the act of defying the odds arrayed before you. Going into the unchartered territory in whatever field is not easy; it requires lots of willpower. The terra incognita, whether it is a physical place or field of knowledge, is not always friendly. There are many difficulties and trials that you will encounter in your journey. If your heart is weak you will give up. Therefore, only the intrepid explorer will arrive at this place. Courage is also necessary if you are pursuing a worthy ambition. You will experience opposition and discouragement, the weak hearted will ultimately surrender and only the audacious dreamer will realized his vision. In addition, we are living in a dangerous world filled with difficulties, pains and sorrows. Without courage we can't face these problems. Nevertheless, it must be emphasized that courage can't be imposed because it is a self-decision. It is the willingness of the person to confront the adversities of life.

The outcome of courage is called confidence. You become confident when you are willing to face the uncertainties of life. Courage is the secret weapon in facing any type of problems. It's the point of departure in any adventure or saga. If you are brave enough to start something, you must also have the nerve to finish it. Only then you will gain confidence. A good starter but poor finisher will never be confident, he will always be frustrated. When we are facing uncertainties it is normal that our minds will react negatively when facing uncertainty. Uncertainty generates fear, the opposite of courage. Fear surfaces before you start on something, but if you persevere, things will soon get better.

Andreia Fortitudo or the virtue of fortitude in classic literature is also translated as courage with special emphasized on perseverance and patience. Talking about the distant past, my favorite people were the Spartans of ancient Greece. Their interpretation and application of physical courage was staggering "a man willing to remain at his post and to defend himself against the enemy without running away." The Spartan's tradition was based not only in their military ability but also in the unification of their mind and heart. The Spartans demonstrated their spectacular courage in the epic Battle of Thermopylae. Three hundred Spartans versus thousands of Persian invaders, this is one of the greatest mismatched in the history of military warfare.

According to Ernest Hemingway courage is "grace under pressure" a definition that reminds me of "The Myth of Sisyphus" by Albert Camus. The statistic of suicide is high; people killed themselves because they wanted to escape their problems and difficulties. The majority of people on the other hand turns to mysticism (e.g. belief in god and religion) they believed that there's a superpower that controls the lives of people and this superpower being can helped them in their difficulties. Those people who commit suicide and those who relied on the interventions of powerful spirit are both cowards. According to Camus the best way to confront any problem is to face it, learned from it and eventually you will find happiness. Sisyphus did not surrender to the gods instead he took the punishment (moving the boulder to the top of the mountain) without any protest. He did not cry for help and mercy. According to Camus this act of Sisyphus was rebellion in itself.

Why did I choose the virtue of courage as my topic for this essay? Because I believe that courage is the most important virtue, but what about love? Even in love you still need to have courage. You can't love if you don't have the courage. You must be bold enough to express your love and fight for it if necessary. Every aspect of life needs courage it's the catalyst of progress. Without courage the ingenuity of man will not come into light. There will be no civilization. The development of society will remain stagnant. Thanks to the efforts of courageous people in the past we are now living in a much better world.

Fear and Difficulties

Every individual seeks the help of others whenever they are in trouble. We usually seek help from our friends, family, fellow workers, neighbors and acquaintance. But it's a sad reality that you can't always rely on them. In times of distress only those who are courageous among your so called friends will remain there to stay on your side. Many of them will leave you alone since it takes bravery to stand-up for somebody, which is why only few people do that. "Why would I risk my life for you?" That is the common question that you will hear. Sometimes even your own family members or relatives will abandon you in times of extreme problems.

Even if you are in your lowest point in life always remember that failure or problem is not fatal. When there is nobody there to help you the more you should not give up. Surrender is not an option, it is suicide. The courage to continue the fight is the important thing that you must hold on. Rest if you must but don't quit. Find a good cover but never retreat. What if there is no solution to the problem? What if the condition is irreversible? Then you must face the problem alone and bear it with dignity. Do not kneel to beg for mercy because it's useless.

How can I be courageous when I am alone and trembling in fear? This is the usual question that I hear from people. Actually the best way to displayed courage is when you are in a state of fear. You don't need to be brave when the situation is calm. Courage is needed when fear is there to confront. You will only become the person that you wanted to be through the application of courage. You have to begin somewhere else and the point of departure is when you are afraid. Do not focus on your fear, summoned your inner power and think for yourself or else you will be a victim of fear and fear is worse than your real problem. If you will not confront your fear it will not be banished and it is going to haunt you forever. Fear is like a prison and the only way to be free from that jail is for you to be bold. Fear is part of life an ugly part of life because it paralyzed people.

Courage to Love Others

If you only knew how to love yourself, your heart is useless. Anybody can do that. Even the animals knew how to love themselves. The highest form of love is to show your care for others even in the midst of harsh condition and opposition. But you can't do that unless you have courage inside your heart.

People who are aware of the suffering of others and do something to relieve it are called philanthropists and humanists. They feed people, help fight poverty, provide free education, conduct medical mission and they do many good things to alleviate the plight of the poor. In my opinion the humanist and the philanthropist compared to the religious leader and politician are more honorable and worthy to be admired. I believe that we don't need religious leaders and politicians, what we need are more humanists and philanthropists. It is unfortunate that people like them were just few.

Pursuing Your Dream

You need courage if you want to reach your dream whatever it is. "Dare to strike and find some new grounds" that is the advice of English teacher John Keating played by Robin Williams to his students in the 1989 movie Dead Poet Society. You will only discover new horizons if you will swim and leave the shore. Talent and skill are important in success but it is not enough, you must know how to wield it. In the process there will be many difficulties that you'll encounter. Staying inside your comfort zone is a safe idea but it will not help you to achieve your dream. It is alright to listen and be inspired by the success stories of others. But why be contented in listening to their stories? Why not create your own success story?

The Fear of Death

We fear death because we don't know what is there beyond this life or probably because some people believe that there is a place called hell. Whether there is hell or not we shouldn't be afraid of death because it is part of the process of life, it is unavoidable and inevitable. So why fear something that you can't prevent? Face death that is the best way to deal with it nothing more.

Conclusion

Did I choose this topic because I'm courageous? I wish I am but I'm not. Let us just say that I'm a learner. I want to face my own problems and difficulties with dignity; I want to see myself standing tall in front of adversities and to be the kind of man that I wanted to be. They say that if you want to learn something you have to read or write about it. I choose the latter, writing your thoughts and researching about the topic of your choice is a good way to learn things. But the best way to learn is through experienced. Courage cannot be learned through reading alone one must face difficulties in order to learn how to be courageous.

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