Not the absence of fear, but the mastery of it...

            The definition of courage is commonly accepted to be the ability to face danger, adversity, or possible discomfort without fear. "Be courageous, be brave, and be bold" are all timeless adages heard repeatedly throughout life. Courage is a characteristic that is universally admired, and yet it is not one that is often encountered. Why is that? You would think that everyone would attempt to possess such a laudable virtue. Perhaps the reason there are so few truly courageous people is because in order to be courageous, one must withstand danger, fear, and difficulty. It is very hard to contradict those three words. There are so many aspects, so many situations where they are met; it is amazing that one word can describe the battle against them. Courage is the strength to resist the easiest resolution to an adversity.

            One of the reasons it is difficult to be courageous is the negative connotations that accompany the word. It is challenging to speak in front of crowds if someone has stage fright. But almost everyone, whether it be for school or work, will have to speak for a large group during their lifetime. The scary situation can be unavoidable. This person who is scared of speaking to large assemblies can try to evade the situation, but they are probably going to be faced with another circumstance that will require public speaking later on, so it is in their best interest to face their fear. The more they think of it, the more daunting it will seem. They will blow it out of proportion in their head and terrify themselves unnecessarily. It is easier to just face their fear. To be courageous means facing something unpleasant, but when we are cowardly, we can make the circumstance even more unpleasant.

            When pondering on a courageous person, a robust, resilient being can come to mind. Perhaps they are battling an enormous army with little hope of victory. This is a recurring image of courage, but we need to remind ourselves that courage takes on many forms. It takes courage not to honk and/or flip off the person that cuts us off in traffic. Courage is standing up for what's right-but that can be simply picking up a piece of trash on the side of the road. We confront the opportunity of being courageous every day. Sometimes, the hardest form to acquire is the courage of yielding. To not honk back at someone, to not lash back at someone that is snippy towards us, to “turn the other cheek.” This would be courageously facing difficulty.

         Courage will not make a difficult situation dissipate. Just because you are courageous in the face of danger does not mean that situation will no longer be dangerous. All of the men in the Alamo were very courageous, but they still lost, and they lost their lives. Even if a person is courageous once, they will not necessarily always be. It takes practice! “Practice makes perfect” cannot be stressed more here. The only way to become truly courageous is to practice daily. If you can be courageous in little things, you can eventually be courageous with bigger things. It just takes time. As it takes time to build muscle. Go to the gym, lift weights, slowly increasing the amount, and eventually you will be strong. Obtaining guts is the same process.

          In order to be brave, a person must fully comprehend what it means to be brave. Cowards have a fear of something and they let that fear rule them. A person with valor may also have a fear of something, but they master that fear. As Mark Twain so eloquently stated, “courage is resistance of fear, mastery of fear-not absence of fear.” It’s OK to be afraid of things; it’s human to be afraid of things. What’s important is to learn how to take control of fear.

            Although facing our fears can be intimidating, and sometimes even terrifying, not standing up to the anxiety can be even worse. Fear can take a hold of our lives, and in the end just facing them is the better option. It makes us a stronger, better person. In a sense, when avoiding hardship we aren’t truly living. We are a slave to our fears. William Shakespeare touched on this when he said "a coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man only one."  So stand up for what you believe in, live your life, and just say no!