We have all heard the phrase “you cant have courage without first being afraid”. Which sounds nice but I think I would rather skip the whole afraid piece and just have courage.
So when your afraid, from where do you draw courage? God? Family? The glowing stone you have hidden in your basement? Sayings, quotes?
Share with us and maybe give someone a little verbal courage today!
Experience. I have lived a life that is full of regrets and most of them could have been avoided had I met them head on instead of letting fear color my response.
I don’t play about any more.
During physical danger I draw courage from concentrating on what must be done rather than worrying about what might happen to me.
My personal experience, which I’ve found to be similar in others I’ve talked with, is that being too imaginative is detrimental to courage.
Love this line. As I have a horrible fear of flying, and an active imagination, this is very true for me.
From not having any other options.
If I don’t do it, somebody else will have to. Since I know I’m a sinner, it might as well be me.
This^^^.
For me, fear is much more debilitating in the context of mundane things like public speaking rather than in life-threatening crises. Death is often a less scary prospect than humiliation.
There’s an old saying I like. “Courage is cowardice that’s said its prayers…”
I had kidney cancer at age 39. had a massive heart attack ( needed paddles to kick start me) when I was visiting a mate in hospital at 43. in between and before that I had my door kicked in and dragged down the stairs feet first by armed police ( this was in the UK FFS) who got the address of the local drug dealer wrong. I have been in a helicopter that went down in the sea ( 1988 North Sea Chinook)
none of this made me braver but this and more made me less likely to freak out at what life wants to throw my way.
Well, in the only experiences I had, from a sense of duty and moral obligation.
I repeat the phrase “Thank You for the opportunity to see things differently” in my head. I am not sure who I am thanking, maybe Kahlil Gibran or the Tao.
Cue Pratchett Quote! The Patrician and Ponder in The Last Hero
“And would you, Mister Stibbon’s, trust yourself in a contrivance pushed along by dragons?”
Ponder swallowed.“I’m not the stuff of heroes, sir”
“And what causes this lack in you, may I ask?”
“I think it’s because I’ve got an active imagination.”
This seemed a good explanation, Lord Vetinari mused as he walked away
Now on to my answer. I’d say religion is part of it for me as far as physical danger is concerned. It is easier to be brave when you believe in an afterlife and think your on the path to a good one. Also anger. I tend to get very angry at the fact that I’m scared if it is not something I think I should be scared of and will decide to do something basically to give the finger to the part of me that is scared.
I’ll echo clairobscur and say a sense of moral duty and obligation plays a part too in both physical and social/ethical bravery. This often over laps with religion can find some of its roots in it. but is separate from it.
I thought I had no courage until the big green wizard told me it was inside of me all along.
Yep. “Courage is Do the Right Thing.”
I often find that if I just take the first step, then everything else just falls into place. It’s having the sack to take the first step that’s the biggest problem.
This is exactly what I was going to say. Basically, it’s all about “I’ve done this before, or something similar, and it wasn’t the end of the world, and this won’t be, either.”
Nothing to Lose.
In 100 years no one will ever have heard of me and nothing I ever did or said will have consequence. No amount of money, long lifespan, action or inaction will change this. I would prefer to go out on my feet, not on my knees, but it won’t really matter in the long run (which doesn’t exist for anyone anyway). No that’s not depressing, it’s liberating (and accurate). Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead.
Pull a gun, I won’t mind if you kill me. Threaten someone else and my fatherly instincts will force me to end you (if I must). I would take a bullet for that no problem. But I wouldn’t call that courage because I don’t fear the consequences.
Asking someone out? That takes courage…
My desire to live a normal life. I overcame severe anxiety issues to become a thriving human being, but I still live with fear every day. By ‘‘overcame’’ the issues I don’t mean I stopped being anxious. I mean I learned to do things anyway regardless of the anxiety. In that last week I’ve expected I was about to die around 30 times. I haven’t been sleeping for fear someone has broken into the house, and I’m afraid to ride the train and I’m afraid to go to work because I don’t want to screw up. But I do it anyway, because otherwise I wouldn’t be doing anything. Part of the courage came from realizing anxiety in itself is just an unpleasant physical sensation and can’t really do anything. But what truly motivates me is my desire to do everything I can with what I’ve been given and to live my life to the fullest. In fact, I think it’s kind of neat how I face terror every day with nary a blink. How many times do you get to encounter the thing you fear the most? I encounter it regularly.
The Airman on my right, and the Airman on my left. I would much rather die than fail them.
Right here!
::grabs crotch::
The times I actually, physically, did something that was considered courageous, I was inspired by strong emotion. Fear or anger lit the fuse, so to speak.