Courage

I have encountered a lot of unhappy stories and sad occurrences in the past few days that have forced me to look at how courageous regular people are. There are instances in my life when I thought I was courageous but I am truly humbled by what I have seen and heard  and felt like I should explore the concept of courage. 

So what is courage? Is it something different for every person?
I would say it means different things to different people but I took the liberty of getting a wikipedia definition. You can always count on wikipedia to have an answer--not necessarily the full answer, or the completely right answer, but at the very least, a starting point.

Wikipedia says that courage is " the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Courage is acting in spite of fear. "Physical courage" is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, death, or threat of death, while "moral courage" is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal, or discouragement."

Are you still courageous even if you don't choose a situation but still deal with it in an admirable way? I think so. Wikipedia left out how courageous you are if you recently lost a loved one and still get up every morning and move forward, even when you probably just want to stay in bed, when you don't feel like functioning at all. 

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of overcoming it."

--Helen Keller

Maybe the experience of loving that person you lost has actually helped make you more courageous in the face of loss. 

 "Because of a great love, one is courageous."
Lao Tzu

Are you courageous when you fight a life threatening disease? Most definitely! And even if you don't win the fight, your courage is still such a shining example for others. 

Are you courageous if you are about to lose your house or go bankrupt or experience some other financial calamity? So many people are going through things like this right now. It is probably important to remind ourselves that "stuff" is replaceable and people are not. That is not always easy to keep in the forefront of one's mind either. We Americans to tend to be more material-based than we should be. But are you just a reflection of what you have? Or are you the same you regardless of what you have? 

Thinking about courage has made me think of more questions than answers. But the one thing I do know is that I admire all those people whose stories made me stop and think of someone else and how they are feeling today instead of thinking about myself.

I hope that each of people whose stories I heard continue on with faith that things will be okay. Maybe the simple hope that all will be okay is what makes people courageous. I am wishing for positive energy for all the people who touched me in some way this week with their stories.

Know that someone is thinking about you and wishing you peace today. 

"The only courage that matters is the kind that gets you from one moment to the next."

--Mignon McLaughlin

Do you know someone who is approaching something in their life in a courageous way? I would love to hear their story...