For my latest article on emotions, I would like to discuss courage. I pray that this article helps you to stand resolute in those times when you need to ‘pluck up the courage’ to face your fears. More than that, I hope that it inspires you to live courageously in every moment: To be present with courage. Now you rise...
Courage: Have the heart of a lion
A history of courage
Monuments to bravery are intended to inspire. But they mostly depict important men on horses: Bravery has traditionally been seen as an aristocratic and overwhelmingly male virtue. It still is: ‘Man up’. ‘Grow some balls’.
But courage is without gender. Alice Ayres’s story tells a different narrative. She was a nursemaid who died rescuing her three charges when a fire broke out in the shop beneath their home. She quickly became immortalised by the Victorians as an exemplar of heroic duty and care for others. Several memorials were erected to her, among them an inscription on the artist George Watts’s Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice built in Postman’s Park in London in 1900. It is a simple wooden shelter lined with fifty-four small ceramic tablets, each one commemorating an act of bravery – from a labourer who died trying to rescue his friend from an explosion at a sugar refinery to a stewardess who went down with a sinking ship after giving her lifebelt away. The shelter is a celebration of the courage of working-class men, women and children and, in stark contrast to the marble horsemen who grandly peer over the City nearby, it appears rather humble in its design. With its floral ceramics and simple carving, it channels the aesthetic of the Arts and Crafts movement, which itself harks back to medieval decorative styles. It’s not just its appearance that evokes the medieval world. With its emphasis on extraordinarily courageous acts performed by ordinary people – requiring not only physical stamina but also emotional fortitude – Watts’s memorial also recalls a medieval attitude, in which courage was considered one of the principles that everyone should live by.
The aviator Amelia Earhart certainly lived by courage, and wrote that "Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace." It is only when you face your fears that you will find peace and also triumph. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and she set many other records.
The word ‘courage’ first entered the English language in medieval times via the Old French 'corage', from the Latin 'cor' (heart), and originally referred to the heart itself, understood at that time to be the seat of all feelings and the source of one’s innermost desires and intentions. The medieval heart was not the muscle we’d recognise today. Rather than a pump circulating blood, it was believed to act as a chamber for heating the body’s vital spirits. The higher the temperature of these vital spirits, the more courageous a person was assumed to be. Of course, it was hard to tell how hot someone’s heart was just from looking at them.
But courage was not only a question of an inner fire. It could also be cultivated by striving to shape one’s life according to cardinal virtues: Including fortitude. Though Pagan in origin, fortitude remained a cornerstone of medieval life. Fortitude described a steadfastness, an ability to take responsibility for one’s actions and something today we call ‘acting with integrity’. Thus, according to Thomas Aquinas in the 'Summa Theologiæ', courage was not just an ability to ‘stand immovable in the midst of dangers’ without succumbing to the desire to attack, but also the patience to endure pain with equanimity, to have a ‘strength of hope’ and a feeling of ‘magnificence’ (remember that you are a limitless BEing) – treating all our endeavours with sincerity and importance. Courage took in a broad sweep.
Today’s talk of courage is indebted to this flexible, inclusive medieval concept. When we admire the bravery of individuals in our own time, it is not only because they are willing to put themselves in harm’s way, but also because they risk social exclusion. The brave speak out against injustice, or stand up for their beliefs when threatened by oppression. It takes courage to show your difference in a culture which is all too ready to show contempt and to try to induce shame. We do speak of bravery as the ability to stand firm in the face of physical hardship: The bravery of childbirth, say, or recovering from a serious illness, even the self-sacrifice that Victorians so associated with the brave. But perhaps it’s the emphasis on psychological fortitude, the ability to confront one’s demons or flourish despite the scars of childhood trauma, which most recalls the medieval way of thinking about courage. That, and the idea that bravery isn’t just for men on horseback, but something to which the rest of us can aspire too. The Suffragettes, for example, were part of the 'Votes for Women' campaign that had long fought for the right of women to vote in the UK, showed ultimate acts of courage to uphold their principles. Emily Davison died after being hit by King George V's horse Anmer at the 1913 Derby when she walked onto the track during the race.
Helen Keller, the American author and political activist, assigned no gender in relation to courage, and wrote that one should “Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.”
Courage is to act despite fear
For me, courage is to feel the fear and do it anyway, which is the title of the renowned book by Susan Jeffers. The overriding message of the book is that “You can handle it!” And you can! As Michael Neill wrote "We are not afraid of what we think we are afraid of... We are afraid of what we think." The way through fear is action. FEAR is an acronym for ‘Face Everything And Rise’. Carl Jung wrote that “Neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering.” You see, we go to any lengths to avoid pain, but the paradox is that in doing so we cultivate anxiety. The key to courage is to face your fear head on, take intuitively inspired action and let go of all attachments to the outcome. Very few things that we worry about actually happen, and if they do, very few of these can’t be dealt with. So, take action and surrender the result to the Universe: It has your back.
Dale Carnegie wrote “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”
Instead, we feel fear twice - the fear about the fear, and then the fear, which is never as bad as you thought it would be. For example, those who are afraid of flying are terrified for some time before they get on the plane, but often find themselves laughing when the aeroplane takes off. Michel de Montaigne wrote “He who fears he shall suffer, already suffers what he fears.” Read that again. Just get on that plane.
Jack Canfield wrote that "Everything you want is on the other side of fear." You are a limitless BEing held back only by your false beliefs: In other words, your fears. What if the opposite of all your fears were true? Who could stop you then?
Courage and Faith
I love the aphorism “Fear and Faith don’t live in the same house.” And the very short yet powerful story: “Fear knocked on the door. Faith answered. There was no-one there.” Faith gives us courage.
Pope John Paul II wrote "Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you, therefore no harm can befall you; all is very, very well. Do this in complete Faith and confidence."
Courage and philosophy
Aristotle wrote “You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honour.” Plato wrote "Courage is knowing what not to fear." Which is pretty much everything. Seneca, the great Stoic philosopher wrote “He who is brave is free.”
Thucydides, the historian and general who recounted the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens, wrote “The secret to happiness is freedom... And the secret to freedom is courage.”
Lao Tzu wrote in the 'Tao Te Ching' “A man with outward courage dares to die; a man with inner courage dares to live.”
Rabindranath Tagore wrote "Let us not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless when facing them."
Friedrich Nietzsche wrote “You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.” He continued “The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously.” In other words his philosophy was to run your own race with courage. It is a journey that we must each take, saying “No one can construct for you the bridge upon which precisely you must cross the stream of life, no one but you yourself alone.” He continued “You must be ready to burn yourself in your own flame. How could you rise anew if you have not first become ashes?”
Vincent Van Gogh wrote “What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” Henri Matisse wrote that "Creativity takes courage." This was echoed by Erich Fromm who said that "Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties." Benjamin Disraeli wrote "Courage is fire, and bullying is smoke."
Albert Camus wrote "Those who lack the courage will always find a philosophy to justify it." Thich Nhat Hanh said that "Fearlessness is not only possible, it is the ultimate joy. When you touch nonfear, you are free."
Courage and the literature
T. S. Eliot wrote “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” Anaïn Nin, the author, wrote "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." Mark Twain wrote that “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” C. S. Lewis wrote “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”
Jane Austen wrote in 'Pride and Prejudice “There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” Never allow bullies, gangs, or trolls to gain a foothold: On the contrary, their very attempts at intimidation give you a nuclear energy to rise up. Rumi added “Don't be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.” Notice that those who try to intimidate you are simply projecting. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.” J. R. R. Tolkien wrote “So comes snow after fire, and even dragons have their endings.” He continued "Courage is found in unlikely places." In the Hero's Journey by Joseph Campbell it states that it is on the darkest cave that we will find our greatest treasure. Courage may well be our greatest treasure.
Follow your vision. Audre Lorde wrote “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”
You first need to look inside. Anaïs Nin wrote “What we call our destiny is truly our character and that character can be altered. The knowledge that we are responsible for our actions and attitudes does not need to be discouraging, because it also means that we are free to change this destiny. One is not in bondage to the past, which has shaped our feelings, to race, inheritance, background. All this can be altered if we have the courage to examine how it formed us. We can alter the chemistry provided we have the courage to dissect the elements.”
Mary Oliver wrote in 'The Journey':
One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice --
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do --
determined to save
the only life you could save.”
Until we have courage we are truly limited BEings. André Gide wrote “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
Courage and popular culture
Coco Chanel called for independent thought and action "The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud." This statement suggests that she felt that your actions speak for you.
Muhammad Ali said “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”Steve Jobs, the deceased cofounder of Apple Inc, called us to walk our own path “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”
Sir Winston Churchill wrote “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” He reminded us to never give up and to keep going “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
John Wayne said that "Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway." Action again seems key. Eleanor Roosevelt wrote “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes
Conclusions
I would like to suggest that we stop trying to ‘live our best life’, the curse of social media and a catchphrase invented by Oprah Winfrey in when she published a book called ‘Living Your Best Life’ in 2005, and instead ‘live our bravest life'.
A ship is safe in harbour, but that's not what ships are for. To take the Hero's Journey and to embrace personal transformation is the bravest thing that you can do. E. E. Cummings wrote “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” Paul Coelho wrote “When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny.”
Marianne Williamson wrote “It takes courage to endure the sharp pains of Self discovery rather than choose to take the dull pain of unconsciousness that would last the rest of our lives.”
Maya Angelou wrote “Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.”
Be brave my friends. It will be worth it.
Namaste.
These are the emotions that I have covered for you in my series on emotions (click on the link to be taken to them):
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I have a Bachelor's degree in Natural Sciences from Trinity College, Cambridge; a Master's Degree in Philosophy from Trinity College, Cambridge; a PhD Doctorate in Scientific Research from University College London (UCL); a Medical Degree (MD/MBBS) from The Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London and have been a doctor and reconstructive trauma and cancer surgeon in London for 20 years. I have published over 50 peer reviewed scientific journal articles, have been an associate editor and frequent scientific faculty member, and am the author of several scientific books. I have been awarded my Diploma in Transformative Life Coaching in London, which has International Coaching Federation (ICF) Accreditation, as well as the UK Association for Coaching (AC), and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). I have been on my own transformative journey full time for four years and I am ready to be your guide to you finding out who you really are and how the world works.