Courage: A Supreme Virtue

Let us ponder upon the word COURAGE, the most admirable of human virtues. As Ernest Hemingway defined it-  “Grace under Pressure.”  Courage is a moral conviction more dearly to be embraced than life. Courage to be truthful, to be honest and to risk life is the supreme virtue endowed by the Divine. It is better to face death with courage than to die with fear. Fear of death is deadlier than death itself. Courage is a decided mind. Thomas Carlyle wrote, “The courage we desire and prize is not the courage to die decently but to live manfully.”  Let us learn the supreme virtuous lesson of life.  

Courage is a virtue in its highest order. It is power unseen but felt in action. All achievements, discoveries, all success story of mankind; all kinds of attainment to height of excellence ever scaled by man are but by the move of courage. Courage is a virtue that characterizes the highest order of manhood and womanhood. Without courage nothing worthwhile is accomplished. Courage is taking risk at the cost of losing life for something worth fighting for. Risk precedes Gain. Courageous man is a rare maker of history. History is made of courageous deed of great men of the age. The courage of a man may be discouraged. But courageous man rises above discouragement. History is the souvenir of the work of men of courage. 

It is the strong and courageous men who lead, guide and rule the world. The weak and timid have no trace left behind them. Courageous men set examples as light for others to see and follow. His thoughts, his spirit and his courage shed light on the path for the succeeding generations. The world we live in is more intense with difficulties and complexities. Living is not easy as thought to be with the help of scientific technologies as it was in olden days. One man with courage makes a majority, says Andrew Jackson. One courageous man can decide for many, for all and for the nation. Courageous man takes responsibility and act as a duty not as ordered. It takes courage to decide what need to be done. All great men in history are beacons of courage, of hope and inspiration for mankind to progress and prosper. All developments and civilizations were the works of men of courage. Courage to risk and create things of imagination into reality makes all discoveries, achievements and victories possible. Courage lies within and boldness is its work of manifestation. Every step of progress in the history of human race was made in the face of opposition and difficulty and has been achieved and secured by men of intrepidity and valour- leaders, by great discoverers, patriots and great workers in all walks of life. In nature there is a principle that one has to fight one’s way to public recognition in the face of detraction, calumny and persecution.

Courage grows with experiences. Face the thing you fear and you get the courage to face greater things. Success and victories are the fruits of men of courage. There are myriads of men of courage who have shown the path to success, victory and discovery. They are examples that has embolden the generations. Nelson Mandela was one symbol of courage for his country and of his country's transition to a multi-national and multi-racial democracy. Socrates was condemned to drink the hemlock (poison) at Athen because his lofty teachings ran counter to the prejudices and party spirit of his age. He had the moral courage to brave not only the tyranny of his days but also dared to take his cup of poison himself to death. His last word was, “It is now time that we depart- I to die, you to live; but which has the better destiny is unknown to all except to God.” Bruno was burnt alive at Rome. When the judges of the inquisition condemned him to die, he said proudly: “You are more afraid to pronounce my sentence than I am to receive it.”  Galileo was persecuted to death for his bold theory on the motion of the earth that was contrary to the theory of his time. The Pope refused even his tomb for burial. Roger Bacon, the Franciscan Monk was persecuted and imprisoned for his studies in natural philosophy and charged with dealing in magic because of his investigation in Chemistry. He did not recant his statement and died in prison. Vesalius laid the foundation of science of human body by paying his life for it.  He was condemned to death by the inquisition of Catholic Church. He was a martyr to his love of science. Martin Luther was charged of heresy and threatened his life by the emperor, He said firmly, “Sire, unless I am convinced of my error by the testimony of the Scripture, or by manifest evidence I cannot and will not retract, for we must never act contrary to our conscience.”  Of him Hutten said, “There is no man in Germany who more utterly despises death than does Luther.” To such men of courage, we owe the liberation of human thoughts and vindication of human rights.Sir John Eliot walked bravely to his death happily. Before being beheaded, he said, “Death is but a little word; but ti’s a great work to die.” In his prison before his execution, he wrote: “He that fears not to die, fear nothing…. There is a time to live and a time to die. A good death is far better and more eligible than an ill life. A wise man lives but so long as his life is worth more than his death. The longer life is not always the better.”

Jadonang was one to cite an example nearest to our people and place as a man whose act of bravery and fearlessness before death has shown us lesson of real life. He did not fear or scared by the threat of death at sight. He took his stand firm as a rock at the face of death not by compulsion or helplessness but of noble conviction of truth perceived. Rani Gaidinliu was one shining example of woman of courage. She faced life imprisonment for the cause she believes to be worth fighting for; dying for or living for. 

The early era has displayed injustices against the men and women of courage by displaying fierce oppositions and confrontations, tortures, imprisonments and death but their work of courage lives on and blessed humanity. Men of this stamp have inspired us with their high sense of duty and morale responsibility that embolden us to exhibit character of heroic and noblest spectacles. Everyone is a hero in some way and for someone. Everyone is courageous in their own way, big or small action or decision. In someone’s eye he or she may be hero or a daredevil. Devils don’t dare at men of courage. There is a saying of an old Norseman, “I believe neither in idols nor demons. I put my sole trust in my own strength of body and soul.”  Truly courageous man bears the marks of an ancient crest, “Either I will find a way or make one”

In a societal context, men of courage are considered to be brave in society and admired by all. It is a state of mind that tends to venture, endure and resist hazard, terror, or difficulties As described by Maya Angelou, Courage is “The most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” Courage may be displayed in everyday life as well as in battle fields: courage to be honest, to resist temptation, to speak the truth, to be what we really are. The courage to control our self is hidden but is a powerful force to do anything great. “Self control is only courage under another form.”S.Smiles.“Self control is strength. Right thought is mastery. Calmness is power.” said, James Allen. Man of courage is man of Character. Napoleon’s aim was for his “Glory”. Wellington’s watchword like Nelson was “Duty”. “The crown and glory of life is Character. It is the noblest possession of a man.” Samuel Smiles.

Man must have the courage to be himself and not the shadow or the echo of another. He must exercise his own powers, think his own thoughts and speak his own sentiments. He must elaborate his own opinions and form his own convictions. It has been said that he who dare not form an opinion must be a coward, idler or must be a fool. Men are bound to speak the truth in the love of it said Samuel smiles. John Pytn the commonwealth man said, “I had rather suffer for speaking the truth than that the truth should suffer for want of my speaking.”  A truly honest man is against all public wrongs, truthful man against lying, justice loving man against oppression. Pure-minded man opposes vice and iniquity. Such men have in all ages been the morale force of the society and the world. Courage is graceful and dignified but fear in any form is mean and repulsive. John F. Kennedy in his book, Profiles in Courage wrote, “Each man must decide for himself the course he will follow. The stories of the past courage can define that ingredient- they can teach, they can offer hope, and they can provide inspiration. But they cannot supply Courage itself. For this each man must look into his own soul.”

Readers may find gems of thoughts to build character that manifest courage in your person through this piece of writing. Remember, you are either history maker or reader. Rather, I want you to be a maker of history in your generation. Wear the crown of life. The most rewarding of life is to live with COURAGE to be truthful and faithful at the face of doubt, danger and death.  

Gwangphun Gangmei

A Social Research Activist