Courage
Winston Churchill in one of his eloquent speech once declared it that; courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. Nelson Mandela went ahead to share his thoughts that; courageous people don’t fear forgiving for the sake of peace. A lot of scholars have stated quite inspiring and captivating quotes about courage (Broder 3). So, how ready are you to stand up and speak even in front of most feared men? How ready are you to sit down and listen to that insignificant person in the society regardless of your position? Are you that kind of person who is ready to let go of all the issues just for the sake of peace? Who are you? Are you courageous enough to answer these questions? That’s now what we call courage!
Merriam Webster Dictionary defines courage as the capability of mind to initiate an action in spite of underlying difficulties or danger. Words like heroism, boldness, audacity, valor, or bravery can be synonymously used to refer to courage. Oxford Pocket Dictionary also defines courage as; the ability to handle something that frightens one (Oxford, p. 28).Maya Angelou once said that as much as one is not born with courage, he/she still has the ability and the chance to learn to be courageous (Epstein 2). Aristotle said that “courage is a mean with regard to fear and confidence.” To build on to these, in his publication ‘Moral Maxims and Reflection’, François de la Rochefoucauld quoted that “complete courage and absolute cowardice are the extremes than only few men fall into.” He goes ahead to claim that perfect courage it doing without witnesses what one could have done with the whole world watching (Francois, p 216). In the words of Samuel Johnson, courage can be simplified as the quality to maintain a respected virtue even when it’s associated with a vice. Everybody on the face of this earth was born with a capacity of being courageous (Taylor, 5). Working under courage gives the best output. In as much as courage is teachable and learnable, the drive to start being courageous lies within oneself. The chief way of activating this drive is by how you prepare yourself prior to tackling any challenge that comes your way. When you have this strong zeal in you, you can to some extent, positively influence those around you. For you to build your integrity, you must operate on utmost courage.
A score of renowned people have their names written down in the books of history, not because of anything else, but the high level of courage they portrayed. The whole world remembers the heroic Martin Luther King for his outstanding courage to fight against racial discrimination (Broder 5). Not forgetting, how can we talk about courage without remembering the efforts of Nelson Mandela? In pursuit for South Africa’s independent, Mandela courageously fought the Dutch and their policies like apartheid. Even up to the time of his arrest, Mandela’s courage could not be shaken. In the bible, what it takes to be courageous through the story of Jesus, who in spite of his miraculous powers, he stuck to the truth of the message he was spreading without fear of the consequences. He accepted to suffer on the cross just instead of jeopardizing his courage. During American Revolution, Thomas Jefferson sought a challenge to the existing rules on slavery, education and religion (Broder 6). It takes real courage for people like Mother Teresa to come to win the fight against racism, poverty and criticism. In deed such extents of courage is hard to find (Bulson 68).
In conclusion, the great men in the world reached the realm of recognition because they had unshaken courage. In the words of Mary Ann Radmacher, “Courage does not roar, at times courage is the tiny voice that at the end of the day says that I will try again tomorrow.”Do you have this tiny voice in you? Napoleon Bonaparte also once said that; courage is not the strength to push on, but it is going on when you are weak. With these great quotes, we can conclude on the fact that being courageous is the beginning of your journey to the destination (Epstein 6). Courage is such a sweet word when being used. It has been used to change many lives which had been deemed hopeless. Courage has lifted many people from grass to grace.
Works Cited
Courage." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 14 Oct. 2014 http://www.encyclopedia.com
Taylor, Denny. "Teaching as Small Acts of Courage." School Talk 7.2 (2002): 5. ProQuest. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
Bulson, Christine. "Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's English Dictionary." The Booklist 105.11 (2009): 66,66,72. ProQuest. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
Epstein, Joseph. "REVIEW --- Masterpiece: 'Collected Maxims and Other Reflections' (1678) by Francois VI, Duc De La Rochefoucauld, Prince De Marcillac: Puncturing our Pretensions." Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition ed.Sep 24 2011: 2-13. ProQuest. Web. 14 Oct. 2014 .
Broder, David S. "Courageous People; "with Jim Brady, You Keep Coming Back to the Sense of Humor."." The Washington Post (pre-1997 Full text): 1-10. Nov 04 1987. ProQuest. Web. 14 Oct. 2014 .
