2007-07-24 05:16:05 · 18 answers · asked by Inspector Gadget 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
I've thought on this a lot recently, actually. The answer that has come to be my definition of courage, true courage, is to be able to look at yourself without flinching, to see into others for who they are, not who you want them to be, and to stand up for the things you believe in. The greatest enemy that a person can have is themselves, and for that reason, it requires the most courage to be able to stand up to yourself. No one likes to feel that they are less than wonderful, that they are not infallible, or that they are not as well-liked as they think. To be able to face yourself with no masks requires a lot of courage.
The next most courageous thing a person can do is look into others and see who they really are as well. To be able to see those who are close as they really are, no matter how unpleasant that may be.
Then there's the traditional definition of courage, the ability to act in tough or scary situations.
It takes courage to act when something bad happens (i.e. a heart attack in the store), just as it takes courage for a suicidal person to live with themselves and for a child to realize that his parents are not as wonderful as he may have thought.
The question that came to me in response to this was:
Where does courage come from? If cowardice is an inability to act from fear of death, is courage the lack of fear of death?
2007-07-24 05:35:54 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
Courage is not a tall oak tree that have seen storms come & go..
but a single fragile flower that has survived and grown in the snow..
courage is more than being a witness, it's being a survivor
Courage is not a person not afraid to walk in the dark and face the challenge..
it is the one darkness seems to fear of and challenges always back out from....
Fear may be the absence of courage..
but Courage is not the absence of fear...
to keep on trying, to keep on going...
and eventually, the fear wont matter at all..
2007-07-24 13:04:17 · answer #2 · answered by enki 4 · 7⤊ 0⤋
It is the sum of the act that emerges from a person's own reaction to a situation. It may be doing what is right in the face of nay Sayers, or putting oneself in danger while overcoming natural fears. Whichever, courage is only brought forward when one is thrust into that particular
confrontation.
Spartawo...
2007-07-24 15:28:15 · answer #3 · answered by spartaworld.combat 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The way you can measure courage is directly compatible to the amount of self sacrifice and the amount you lose in the process of expressing courage.
Courage is not the absence of fear. True courage is acceptance of fear. Once you welcome it and accept it as a natural part of you, you can defy it.
2007-07-24 13:14:18 · answer #4 · answered by Cheshire Riddle 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Weary, worn, scared and beaten... you pick yourself up and go into the fire again. You feel the weight of your tank of air slowing you down. Yet, someone, will need the other tank you carry up the stairs. One more trip up the high-rise. Quads are on fire with each step up.
You reach the level of smoke. The bottom of the black smoke roils like a thunder storm. You hook up your mask. You listen to your own breath sounding like Darth Vader in your airpak. As your head enters the smoke, all light vanishes. You stick to your banister as you climb. Sometimes you sense someone on the other side of the steps going down. Scared and tired and going anyway because it needs to be done, that is courage.
2007-07-24 16:24:10 · answer #5 · answered by Owl Eye 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The measure of true courage is being able to do what is necessary and right, no matter what and being able to forgive those who trespass against you.
2007-07-24 13:34:51 · answer #6 · answered by Paul H. 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If there is courage and if there is life then life is the only measure of courage, and all other definitions of courage are the elaborations of this simple basic fact - to live is to be brave, as to live is to be.
Courage in human life manifests itself in numerous ways. It is not only in deeds but also in thinking, in the dreams, in the ears in being someone else’s mention, it is in the eyes and in being someone else’s eyes; in the feelings and in the simple gestures of kindness that people make and then forget.
Courage is in forgiveness, it is patience, in tolerance, in fortitude, in a smile, in forbearance and in not doing things inappropriate, not seeing things unworthy of being seen, and in not hearing things that feed only the ignoble minds, in moral restraints, in ethical concerns, in respect, in loyalty, in trust, in commitment and in obedience. Love and compassion are but the fruit of courage; cowards cannot love, cannot feel compassion, and cannot have thoughts of care, consolation or comfort for any one; they cannot love even themselves.
2007-07-25 08:48:17 · answer #7 · answered by Shahid 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Courage is the ability to overcome fear , everyone is scared, courage is doing what is right.
2007-07-24 12:24:18 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Having the strength & fortitude to do what's necessary to help ourselves or others, without giving it a second thought or expecting anything in return.
2007-07-24 12:24:14 · answer #9 · answered by Shortstuff13 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Selflessness. To be completely devoid of fear without the desire of reward.
2007-07-24 13:49:49 · answer #10 · answered by tercentenary98 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋