What is Courage?

What is courage? Courage is a mental state demonstrated in facing adversity without turning away—the ability to be strong and face a challenge. Courage can even be in the face of fear—many argue that courage is often seen not in the fearless, but in those who feel fear and overcome it. Courage is relative to the person who shows it: a drinker who walks away from an alcoholic life may need as much courage as the man who fights an army singlehandedly.

Alexander the Great frequently faced armies twice the size of his Macedonian forces. When fighting the forces of King Darius III, he is said to have had the opportunity to ambush them by night. But he conquered the huge force by day to send a message to their king. To be strong in the face of a terrifying reality is courage.

Courage comes from within. In many Asian martial arts, the inner energy of the body and spirit (described, for example, as ki in Karate or Chi in Tai Chi) is where martial artists derive their strength. Buddhists derive courage from detaching themselves from any desire at all—by becoming disconnected from fear, they banish it all together. Apache warriors would go on vision quests for the sake of direction through a dream or vision. Many cultures follow this tradition in some form—to gather strength one seeks it through fasting in the desert and returns with strength, such as the figure of Jesus Christ in Christianity. Even squires, on the night before they became knights, would have an all night vigil to gather themselves up to fulfill their warrior calling. And for spiritual courage, many turn to meditation, prayer, or physical/spiritual disciplines like martial arts, yoga, or breathing exercises.

Also, courageous action often comes from a decision to be honest by following through on one’s word, and it can also come from loyalty to a cause or an idea. Therefore spirituality, experience, and character are all sources of courage.

Much courage is from preparation for adversity, as in training for critical incidents. But courage also comes from experience. Hannah, Sweeney, and Lester are scholars at the U.S. Military Academy, and they argue that courage comes from several different sources. Courage boils down to character traits, mindset, convictions, and who you spend your time with. If someone’s character is open to experience, he will take a situation as it is and consider innovative solutions to it—a courageous person keeps his options open. Another character trait is awareness of others—this can be developed by community involvement and allowing yourself to get close to others. When adversity comes, this attachment to others can manifest itself in brave action. The research of the Military Academy also suggests that certain mental patterns can increase courage. One of them is self confidence, which can be gained through constant practice and training. Another is called “means efficacy,” and this means that, like aboriginal warrior, whatever you have will be adequate, even if it is only a spear. This trend is evident in how often cultures celebrate heroes in their mythology that use the materials available in clever ways. A warrior has to belief that what he has is enough to win the day. Also, the mindset of resilience is essential for courage; when faced with adversity, a soldier does not let it get to him and instead spends time encouraging his fellow soldiers or enjoying the challenge—the ability to “get over it” and not let adversity get to you is a mental state that can be developed by talking about struggles with your fellow warriors, even treating them in a humorous light. Finally, convictions and the social forces around a warrior can make or break her bravery. Convictions have to do with loyalty—a hero gives more when she has something to die for, and this topic is dealt with more in this ebook’s section on loyalty. But courage also has to do with social forces—when comrades run away, others are apt to flee as well; and when men like Erwin Rommel of World War II are leading the offensive into France with blazing speed and strategy, soldiers suddenly join in war changing offensives. While a fighter is often unable to choose whether he has a trustworthy commanding officer, he can choose his friends. If you spend time with the wise, you will become wise. If you go with fools, you learn their lifestyle. But if you do your best to befriend heroes, they will lift you up to courageous deeds. By determining his convictions, becoming committed to others, and choosing friends that live brave lives, a warrior can take steps towards courageous deeds in life and combat.

When you face an insurmountable task. When you must endure. When you just need to get started. All these circumstances call for courage. Many fear failure, and this manifests itself in procrastination or leaving a project unfinished. But courage must be applied when fear presents itself. Much like the section on combat communicates, terrifying circumstances and the need to fight them will be present throughout any one’s life—and to live in the strength of a warrior means to face the enemy without retreat. Courage is necessary because it demonstrates your identity. And the more challenging the circumstance, the more the glory to be won.