What is courage?

In your life, you had always been called a wimp. You are afraid of pretty much everything that can cause discomfort to your mind or body: heights, cold, hot, needles, bullies, ghosts... You cower in front of a menacing aggressive big guy threatening you, you are overweight and afraid of running a marathon because you are afraid you will pass out, you dare not go to a bad neighborhood because you are afraid you will get killed, you are afraid to stand up to a stranger who is being beaten by group of thugs. You are fearful of violence and pretty much every bad things that occur around you. You think you are a coward, and you are right.

But you do love. Everybody does. Let it be a girl or a woman, a child, an old person in his/her wheel chair, an animal, your house, or your neighborhood, or even a country. There is something that you love, and for that something you are willing to stare at fear in the eyes, to stand solidly on your ground under the over-looming shadow that would have caused you and many others to flee. Your heart will be throbbing like thunder in fright, but you will charge at it head on even though in your mind you know you will get hurt or even killed, because you no longer see the pain and blood and tears that you are to experience once this is over, all you see will be the joy, the smile, or the peace of something or someone you are trying to protect and preserve. That, my friend, is true courage. The same thing that can drive a puny, pacifist monk to fight a tiger bare handed, or a soldier into the deep jungles of a foreign country where every turn can be a deadly trap, or a man who sacrificed his youth to raise his children (my old man).

And as I am, I know that most of you are too, courageous.



Thanks for reading.

Nice!

I have found courage, but it is an ugly place to get stuck.
Clear, obscured, pitch and bright
The place where dreams and death freely mingle
Reaching out to hold a dead hand by mistake
Would like to go back home now
Have had my fill of bravery
I just stood and endured, nothing more

reminds me of a story about a uni student who had to write an essay about courage.

The essay went a little like this

Topic question: what is courage?

This is courage.

the rest of the paper was blank

reply to post by purplemonkey


Hahahaha!






Mod Note: One Line Post – Please Review This Link.

[edit on 2/11/2009 by Sauron]

COURAGE -The ability to act in spite of fear.

Quite simple actually.

[edit on 2-11-2009 by AccessDenied]

reply to post by bonthan



Courage is having a sense of honor and abiding by it even though inconveinient.


It's the little things that show true courage. Like taking care of a parent that is sick, demented, and a burden; by showing love and compassion and understanding.

Facing danger is only a small way of showing courage.

[edit on 2-11-2009 by whaaa]

Courage is: doing what needs to bee done, even though you are very scared.

This was from a military friend of mine.

From my military experience.........

Any fool can be a hero in the Adrenalin charged heat of battle.

It's the quiet resolve to live in a righteous, live and let live world with a code of honor; that is the measure of true courage.

But when a stranger rushes into a burning house to save a cat of someone that he dosen't even know. That's courage!!

[edit on 2-11-2009 by whaaa]

In America, courage is living a decent life, having absolutely no concern for what others think because you know you're living decent. I dont mean to sound cliché. In short meaning: denying ignorance - question that which doesn't mesh - being and staying in touch with our world consistantly. The later being the scariest part... now THAT takes courage these days!

Also, to rise above haters.

When we btain security in who we are - courage comes along with that. An insecure individual, whom spends time wondering or caring about what others think lack courage for that very reason. Self-Fulling prophecy.