The Courage to Do and The Courage to Be
What is courage? Courage is quality of being brave. It is the ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain. It is the ability to overcome fear without being deflected from a chosen course of action.
The courage to act is the strength to carry out a goal while facing internal and external difficulties. To have courage is to feel fear, and to act in spite of it. It means to do the right thing despite obstacles, challenges, under condition of uncertainly and regardless of the outcome (failure or success).
“The courage to be is” is courage while facing an internal obstacles. It is the courage to hold onto meaning in the face of doubt, ambiguity and uncertainty. The courage to be is the alternative to despair. It is the courage required by a recently bereaved spouse sitting alone in an empty apartment and wondering how she can find the strength to live without her beloved husband. It is the courage required by someone suffering from chronic illness, and the people who care about them. It is the courage required by someone suffering from depression, searching each morning for a reason to get out of bed.
And it is also the courage required by each of us, even in the most normal of circumstances. How many of us, in a quiet moment, have been struck by a sudden doubt about the meaning that underpins our lives, and a fear that the goals we had set for ourselves may not in the end be realized. It is at moments like these that the courage to be is required.
Even when we come to doubt what we thought were our goals, even when we encounter a crack in the foundation of meaning, it is important to know that all is not lost. There is still larger meaning for us to find; there are still values of ultimate concern to which we can dedicate ourselves and commit ourselves to life no matter what is the situation.
As Edgar Guest said in her poem “Courage was never designed for show; It isn’t a thing that can come and go; It’s written in victory and defeat, and every trial a man may meet.“ Courage is more than a daring deed. It’s the breath of life and a strong man’s creed.”
Ultimately, courage is the recognition of something beyond ourselves. It is the commitment to a meaning that transcends our instinct for personal safety, our craving for societal approval, and the challenge of our personal doubts. When you do courage and take risks, you build an important positive future. Being courageous is the key to improving self-esteem and at the same time creates a fulfilling life.
Please visit author, Moshe Ratson at his Google+ Profile:+Moshe Ratson
