Concept in Definition ABC

Courage is the term used to designate a type of attitude or feeling that a person may have in a situation of possible danger or fear. It is only the force that one finds within oneself to react heroically or fearlessly in situations in which fear, danger, panic are present. Usually the sensation bravery is applied to a myriad of diverse situations and the term can even be used figuratively or metaphorically to make reference to situations in which there is no real danger but in which the person must dare to do something (for example, give a exam).

Courage is, for some, acting with courage and determination, while others consider it to be the absence of fear, and there are those who understand which is all that behavior in which the individual feels fear but does not allow himself to be dominated by it and does what he considers necessary and just.

In any case, when we speak of bravery, we are dealing with some kind of conduct external. In this sense, it is worth recalling Aristotle's thesis on this quality.

moral: we become brave by performing acts of bravery.

Acts of bravery

For an action to be considered courageous, a prerequisite must be fulfilled: that the consequences of the act may be negative. If someone openly criticizes his boss because he does something wrong, he is being brave, as criticism of him is likely to have negative repercussions. In other words, the act of courage is associated with the risk factor.

On the other hand, the act of courage must have a specific objective, such as solving a personal problem or overcoming a difficult situation.

In every brave act there is or should be a certain calculation of the probabilities of success

If I don't know how to swim and I threw myself into the water to rescue someone, I am not a brave but a daring who acts irrationally, because with my action I will not help the one who is in danger and also I will end up drowning myself same.

The brave act can be explained from Aristotle's theory of the middle ground. Thus, between cowardice and recklessness, lies the point of Balance of bravery.

It supposes a sensation or an attitude that only human beings can have since it supposes a certain rationality about situations in which an animal would act normally by impulse or instinct. Thus, courage is understood as a willpower internal, also the decision to do something for one's own good or that of others in situations in which one can get hurt or even lose one's life. Many times, courage is the stage in which the person manages to deal with that fear that the situation generates, overcoming it and taking different actions no matter what may happen.

Archetypes of brave

In the movie theater and the literature heroes are the traditional archetypes related to this quality. Historical figures such as the Cid Campeador, Juana de Arco, Gerónimo or Cuauhtémoc are examples of courage, courage and intrepidity. In most circumstances, the brave man becomes a loser who sacrifices his life and history remembers him as a true hero. (For example, many Christian martyrs sacrificed their lives for their convictions, but the church remembers them as models of behaviour).

Courage does not always have to be related to historical figures, because sometimes humble people act as true heroes. A paradigmatic case is that of Rosa Parks, a modest African-American from the United States who in 1955 refused to give her seat on the bus to a white man; an action that was contrary to the laws and for which she was imprisoned.

It supposes a noble feeling, one of the purest of the human being, because it implies risking one's own good for a specific purpose that may or may not be for itself but that ultimately would always pose a potential risk. On many occasions, courage means having to tolerate some type of pain or suffering, face it and try to get the best possible results out of that specific situation. In this sense, jobs or occupations in which people rescue others (men or animals) who are injured or at risk always suppose having courage because risk situations can also turn against oneself.

Topics in Courage