May 5, 2009
Recently, I found myself thinking about the nature of courage. This quality is usually depicted in the movies by stories about tough cops, firefighters or soldiers who sneer at physical danger and who are cool in any situation. Sometimes, courage is shown as the behaviour of saintly monks who are stoic and unflinching, no matter what suffering they face. I've known some very brave people in real life and they didn't necessarily fit either stereotype.
Courage comes in many forms. The physical bravery shown by firemen who run into a burning building is real, but it takes a different kind of courage to wake up every day to face being severely handicapped or with the knowledge that a serious illness like cancer is killing you.
Some people are brave about physical danger, but their nerve fails when they're asked to get up and talk in front of a crowd. The dread of public ridicule or disgrace can be stronger than the fear of death for some people. As a result, they will remain quiet rather than support an unpopular cause, such as ending discrimination against homosexuals.
The brave people whom I've known in the real world didn't swagger with confidence and they weren't always all that stoic about suffering. They had their moments of anxiety and despair, and they sometimes wept. That only made it all the more admirable and amazing that, somehow, they found the will to carry on and to face their fates.
Maybe more movies should be made about quiet courage, rather than tough guy bravado. Such films might be less entertaining than shoot em ups, but they could help us better to face our own personal demons.
What do you think?
George
P.S. Please visit my website at www.checkmatefiction.com for some free short stories.
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