Are you afraid? Courage vs Cowardice or Foolhardy?

One of the biggest questions you can ask of yourself or others is “Who am I?” The question may be too much at first. You may not trust your own or others answers. What if you broke it down into one small part at a time? What if you focused on an almost universal value? Courage. What person or group values cowardice? We associate courage with the hero and cowardice with the sniveling one who runs away. Is all courage good or is some evil? Is all cowardice evil or is some good? If some guy walks into a school and starts shooting little kids, he is a coward that harms the innocent. The kids are of no threat to him but he knows the police are coming at some point and will kill him if they can’t stop him. Let’s assume you agree that he has courage to do evil. Most people lack the evil courage to shoot school children. They have fear of doing that particular evil. They are cowards when it comes to committing those acts. There is also the police officer or good samaritan that confronts an active shooter . Good courage versus evil courage.

In the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, George is a man who has made many courageous sacrifices. This resulted in continuous challenges and further personal losses. His little brother rides a snow shovel down a snowy hill onto an iced over pond and fell through the ice. George jumped into the icy water to save his little brother and lost part of his hearing in the process. His father ran a bank that gave the people an alternative to a greedy competitor. George’s father died so he set aside his ambition to leave the small town behind and saved the business. There was a run on the bank so he and his new bride gave up their money for their honeymoon and dreams of seeing the world. There were people around bringing this man down on purpose and by accident. He was getting worn down and he contemplated ending his life.

A few angels from heaven are witnessing this and decide to intervene.

What is the problem?

“Is he sick?” – Clarence Oddbody, AS2 (angel second class)

“No, worse. He’s discouraged.” – Franklin

If you haven’t seen the film, it is fantastic so I won’t tell you how it ends. Discouragement is not cowardice. It is a state that can lead to it. It is between. Here is a man who has exhibited courage in so many exceptional ways.

Looking back at your life, there are some examples of courage and cowardice. Single small events don’t define your character. Character becomes more defined with each definitive action. You understand the importance of courage in the face of fear. You understand the mindset, but if there is a measurement of your actions, do you cower or stand?

Is there any reason you can’t be of good courage today?

Cowardice is the lack of courage to face danger, difficulty, or opposition. Once you look at all the things you must overcome, you want to crawl back to comfort. Numb yourself with distraction as it starts to overwhelm you. The majority of the time it isn’t people who you cower from. It is from all the things you know you need to do, or want, but it is too much. It is better to stay put and leave that for another day. You don’t want any more pain from failure. You are a regular person and don’t want to mess with all that crap. Leave you alone. But are you left alone? No. Negatives surround you that you didn’t cause. Okay, you caused some of them and don’t currently have the abilities, skills, or power to overcome them. You hate it. It hurts. Your body is weak; everything breaks. Mentally, you aren’t as sharp as you used to be. All the negatives about yourself come flooding to the surface. Stinking thinking. Some or all is true. Is this better than facing the problem? Is this who you want to be?

Courage is the quality of mind that enables one to encounter difficulties and danger with firmness or without fear. It starts in the will. Do you value courage or cowardice while considering the good? Are you courageous or fearful towards the good? Is it part of your character? What does that look like? You have some courage. What areas do you currently show good courage and where do you lack? Where are you vulnerable or exposed? How do you get it? What do you do? How do you become courageous on the inside and out?

You don’t want to go back or repeat the bad. What is the next action you need to take? Start with it in mind. Visualize it. Can you see it? You know what it is. Say it out loud. Say what it is. Words are the beginning and need action. Write it down. “________ is what I’m going to face.”

It will most likely be a process. It is rarely “one and done”. Process implies time coupled with self discipline. How many times do you have to show courage before it yields success? Chris Voss says it takes 63 repetitions to make a new neural pathway for a skill. That doesn’t mean expert. That is laying the initial path.

What happens if you face your fear? You may succeed or fail at achieving the outcome you want but you succeed in showing courage.

What happens if you give in to the fear? You will not achieve the outcome and you succeed in showing cowardice. This is not what you want or need.

The largest opponent may be yourself. Are you the coward in your own story? Many may have caused you pain. That is a tragedy. It seems there is a greater tragedy that usually follows. You pay the pain forward. You hurt another, intentional or not, but evil is what you have done. The victim becomes the victimizer. Why would you do that? You failed. Knowing your failing, can you rise above it? Can you not be that person anymore? Can you stand for something higher? Failure is a judgment. You don’t want to feel that pain again or cause other’s pain. You can reflect on how you failed and then make a courageous act to try again in a better fashion. It enables you to live and die with a fundamental virtue.

Random House. (1947). courage. In The American College Dictionary (Text, p. 278).

Random House. (1947). cowardice. In The American College Dictionary (Text, p. 280).