Courage Every life contains a measure of risk, threat, and ch | Human Nature

Courage

Every life contains a measure of risk, threat, and challenge. As children and adolescents, we may draw on courage to confront separation from parents and changes at home or school. As young adults, courage may be needed to fi nd a mate or to secure a job. At any age, courage can help us deal with unexpected health problems or other external troubles. But courage also comes into play when we face our inner world with less obvious, but perhaps more challenging, concerns.

Coping with intense and changing emotions, making sense of a developing self-image, and reaching for meaning and authenticity in our lives are a sampling of these inner struggles. How persons meet these external and internal challenges depends in part on the nature and quality of their courage, and the degree of courage may define the extent to which their lives are marked by active exploration, confidence, and a general sense of well-being.

Courageous action is valued in all cultures, and people encourage and support others in their efforts to overcome threatening situations. We admire and respect the union organizer who risks losing her job to better the lives of coworkers, the athlete who competes despite injury, and the housewife leaving an abusive rela-tionship. We build monuments to those who overcame worthy challenges and award medals for courageous conduct. Courage shows its face unmistakably in the bold actions of soldiers, fire fighters, and social reformers, but also in the quiet actions of the psychotherapy patient, the downtrodden child, and the parent facing serious illness.

It can be a one-time, minimally considered act of monumental importance and risk, or a lifetime of intentional, directed, and selfless acts. Courage reveals a measure of strength of character by first asking us to question what is important, and then by testing our willingness to risk our own safety for the purpose of protecting what we hold dear. We must all be courageous, it is an essential ingredient of life and of survival.

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