by Wes Fessler |
Courage:
Everyday Heroes
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December 10 , 2010 |
Courage is commonly thought of as the heroic action of facing pain, danger, or death without fear of consequences. Certainly courage does require heroism and exposure to risks, but not all courage consists of putting oneself into physical danger, and many acts of courage are not accomplished without fear. Though it is common to think of courage as something exceptionally rare and unusual, it is a quality that everyone can achieve when they are willing to stand firmly for that which they believe is right.
Fighting Fear
Courage is finding the strength to abide by what we believe in, even when we are fearful to do so. What makes courage rare is that it often requires us to endure challenges that are not easily surmounted, and that push us beyond limits of comfort. It is fear in its many forms that most commonly dissuades us from taking important and even heroic actions to achieve what we believe in. Sometimes fear is the only obstacle that stands between us and the lives we should live. Courage is finding the will to act regardless of fear to achieve what we know is right.
Believing
It is not always easy to find courage in the world. We all have dreams and aspirations from days of youth that serve as ideals for who we would like to be in life and what we would like to achieve, but somehow we become complacent with lowered expectations as difficulties and setbacks hinder our progress toward our goals. It takes courage to believe in ourselves, and to reach again beyond the confining bounds of our disappointments in the quest to better our lives. It is easy to find ourselves caught up in situations where we accept less than what our best can achieve, but courage is turning who you wish you could be into who you are.
Standing Up to Fear
There are some things in life that are worth far more than the restrictive limitations of our fears. There are times in our lives when we all have to summon the courage and strength to stand up to our fears, and fight through them for what is right. Courage is not found in the absence of fear, but in the midst of it with sheer determination and will to exceed its debilitating power. Courage is the ability to see liberty beyond oppression, and the conviction to serve the cause of freedom at any price.
Stronger than Fear
There are forces in this world that seek to control us through intimidation and duress – some of which are legitimate obstacles or threats, and others that are but contrivances of our own minds – the doubts that constrain us, making us enemies unto ourselves. Fear is the common limiting factor that keeps us down and prevents us from rising above challenges that are of not as significant as our convictions. Courage is the only course of action that can make us stronger than our fears, both real and imagined, and the only way to escape the unjust forces that inhibit our ambitions.
Everyday Heroes
Courage is not a quality that is limited to a few heroic souls who carry out actions that appear to be superhuman. We are all capable of courage, and each of us demonstrates courage sometimes. We are all courageous when we find the strength from within to be stronger than our fears by taking actions that frighten us, because we choose to do what is right. When we see others who perform heroic deeds of courage, we are amazed at the valor and strength that makes them appear to be exceptional. Every act of courage is indeed amazing, and deserving of praise and recognition, but it is important to remember that such courage can be found in each of us, and that we are capable of great courage in the choices we make.
Choosing Courage
Courage is not an accident, or an action that happens by chance, but rather it is a conscious choice to overcome aspects of our lives that make us less than we can be. Courage is a choice that we can make whenever there is unfairness, injustice, or a condition that is wrong in any way. Courage is a decision to take action against our fears, and move closer to the dreams and aspirations of all that we wish to achieve in life. The simple fact that we have not yet accomplished our dreams is not sufficient reason to give up on them, or to surrender to our fears. It takes courage to accomplish anything worthwhile. By learning to face our fears, we can all become more courageous and empowered with the heroism that makes it possible to achieve great things.
Courage to Help Others
One of the greatest things about courage is that the more we learn to conquer our fears, the more able we are to help not only ourselves, but others also. By developing courage in our own lives, we learn to see opportunities to make a difference to others in freeing them of the oppression and fear in their lives. It is the confidence developed from courage that allows us to take action in spite of our fears, and this action in the service of others is the foundation upon which heroes are formed. Those who we call heroes rarely consider themselves to be heroes, but rather ordinary people who fight through their fears to make a difference. We can all be courageous, and perhaps even heroic by simply fighting for what we know is right, and caring enough to do the same for others.
Related Reading:
Family Challenges and Change: The world's most important changes are made in the home.
Learning Something New Every Day: Learning something daily that is beneficial to our lives is a possibility, but it is not guaranteed without a conscious effort on our part.
Controlling Thoughts: Mastering our Minds and Thoughts: We evaluate ourselves based on things we do, finding joy and regret in actions, while scarcely noticing that the driving force behind them is our thoughts.
Fighting Technology for Family Time: Gadgets and gizmos available today are truly amazing, but have they really simplified our lives or allowed us to pay more attention to anything that really matters to us, like our families for instance?
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