Courage: Kindness with a Backbone
What is courage? You know it when you see it. A single mother who works hard to provide for her children and care for them well even when it's difficult. A father who fights against selfishness and comfort to guide his family with faithfulness and virtue. A student who stands up for another when a bully is picking on him. Courage is an admiral character trait and we all hope that one day we might embody it. But how do we cultivate it? How is courage forged in our lives?
Courage is the product of a thousand tiny moments of resistance. When we fight against the urge to sink into the background and stand up for our beliefs we develop courage. When we step out of our comfort zone to help another person we develop courage. When we, moved by deep regard for others, sacrifice our own desires to benefit someone else we develop courage. In this sense, courage is kindness with a backbone. It is motivated by deeply held beliefs and made manifest through intentional and often self-sacrificial action.
In our culture, courage is often displayed on movie screens as people dressed in silly costumes using super-human abilities to defend the earth from attack. But true courage is not as fantastical and more like everyday life. It happens first in a person’s heart and mind. It starts with having convictions. Being able to identify what is good and what is bad and then being able to move toward the good. From teenagers committing to abstinence from drugs, alcohol, and sex to the father willing to tire himself out for the good of his wife and children, courage takes place in the head and heart and works itself out in every moment of one’s life.
Courage is an important aspect of leading a life built on strong convictions and making healthy choices. The messages that students receive today about relationships and sex can be confusing at best and down right damaging at worst. Developing courage allows for students to stand up for what is good, right, and true in this life and make the bold choice to lead healthy lives and not just go along with the flow of culture.
Fear is not the enemy of courage. Rather, fear exposes courage. When we fear something yet still choose the right choice, we embody courage. When students are equipped with helpful information and empowered to make healthy choices they are set up for success when it comes to living with courage and conviction. They can reach out to others with kindness and maintain their convictions. Even when culture, or peers, or even their own desires might influence them toward something unhealthy, courage enables them to live authentic lives marked by strong convictions, kindness, and boldness.