A Book Nerd's Inner Voices

Courage

What is courage? Such a small word with such big meaning. Seven simple letters combined together to form a word that in so many ways has touched the life of the world.





But what is it? The dictionary describes it as the quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger or hardship with confidence, resolution, and firm control of oneself; bravery.





The first thought that comes to mind, every time, is a soldier. The man or woman who selflessly risks their life for their country. The soldier is the epitome of courage.





That being said, think about it. Facing danger with confidence, resolution and firm control of oneself? Is that really courageous? What if someone knowingly endangered their life, having confidence, resolution and firm control of themselves, but they did it for pure delight? They weren't fighting for anything. They weren't standing up for themselves or what they believed in. All they were doing was showing stupidity. Risking everything for an adrenaline rush, and obviously not knowing what a treasure life really is. Not even thinking about how those in their lives would be affected should their plan fail. Now, it that considered courage? Do people truly think that is courageous?





Well, I for one, do not. Courage is more than having confidence and resolution. More than being brave. It's doing what has to be done, when it has to be done, regardless of the consequence. It's being willing to lose all that you hold dear for the greater good. Risking your life to save someone else. Putting everything you know and love on the line so that someone else may have a chance to embrace life the way you did.





Yet courage is in the eye of the beholder. It may be different, or it may be the same. It all depends on the heart of the one deciding.


In the words of a poet, courage is anywhere from riding a bike to facing war. From enduring a great despair and handling it with grace to facing your own death with your head held high.





Anne Sexton put it into words I could not express in her poem simply entitled, "Courage."


"When you face old age and its natural conclusion,


Your courage will still be shown in the little ways,


Each spring will be a sword you'll sharpen,


Those you love will live in a fever of love,


And you'll bargain with the calendar


And at the last moment


When death opens the back door,


You'll put on your carpet slippers


And stride out."


That is courage. Taking them as they come. Not being afraid, and if you are, facing your fears. Not thinking about what you will be losing, but looking ahead to what's coming. Just go.





Still, that is just one aspect. To a four-year-old, courage may be being brave, like climbing a tree or getting up in front of the class. But as you get older, your idea of courage evolves. To some, courage is "putting yourself in danger to help something or someone." To others, it's "when you do something that you know is right and you stick with that no matter what anyone tried to tell you. You don't change your mind."





As we grow up, our perception of courage matures. It becomes more developed as we come to understand what's going on in the world around us. Though the idea of courage varies from person to person, the concept is generally the same. It's always fighting for what's right, putting others before yourself---be it friend or foe, a stranger, or a loved one that you hold dear.





But is there a difference between courage and love? Risking your life for someone else is courage. But risking your life for a friend is not courage. Not the way I see it. Courage involves thinking about what you should do and following through on it. Saving a friend is instinct. No thinking involved. It's a reaction. It's love. Love is stronger than courage. Always. In my eyes, there is a difference.


"If your buddy saved you, / and died himself in doing so / then his courage was not courage. / It was love; love as simple as


shaving soap." ---Anne Sexton





Courage is seen in many ways. When my mother was younger, she and her sister had to take on a lot of the responsibilities for their family. Taking care of the house, their little brother, themselves. They shared their childhood with responsibility. They had to give up some of the normal freedoms of being a teenager. But they did it with their heads held high. They shouldered that burden the way no child ever should, and yet so many still do. Their courage to take on life with all they had shown brightly then and even brighter today.





I respect my mother more than almost anyone else that I know. She is one of my greatest heroes as well as my best friend. Through her love and kindness, I have learned what courage truly is. Because of that, I have experienced life in a way I would never trade. I will always be grateful for that gift.