We think of the courageous as those who decide to travel overseas, start a family, stand up for injustice and against tyranny or think they can jump across a gaping hole.
Courageous acts make our news when for example, some guy with his feet in rubber fish look-a-like slip on’s and a straw hat picked up in Thailand leaps naked in front of the local post person to push a small kitten off the road, express delivery.
Oh yes, he’s brave and gorgeous for what he did. Did you hear of it?
It entails a mentality that seeks to benefit others in some way and no greater example is seen when courageous acts occur spontaneously on behalf of others.
Many people have given their own lives in place of another’s, and we see them as hero’s. And they are. People that thought about somebody else’s safety ahead of themselves. They acted without mulling it over, avoiding overthinking or whether they could or not, they just acted, instinctively, truly, nobly.
See article I Was Superman by Xavior Geis
Peter Geach noted in his work, ‘The Virtues’ about courage, ‘that for an act to be courageous as distinct from reckless, or stubborn or obstinate, the risks must be reasonable in relation to the goal, and the goal itself soundly appraised.’
Such courage is something entirely different from what easily comes to mind when we first might think of what it means to have and show courage.
Now the focus shifts to something more concise and organized.
It suggests pre-thought and deliberation including that which considers if the personal output outweighs the rewards. It also takes into account associated risks, those real and those that could be possible and what should be done in the event they do happen. It’s different.
All in all, perhaps this kind of courage might be better described as boldness in that courageous-bravery highlights visions of pain or danger whereas the latter tends to convey intimidation and calculated action despite it.
What’s interesting is how the sound of various descriptive words in this context relays an associated mental image of what is perceived to be meant by something like an act of courage. Because of this, the intended idea in scenarios when courage is required, is never just communicated with the sounding out of, or the sighting of written words, but it must convey the correct meaning by way of sound, sight and proper description in order for the listeners to grasp what the scene was and who was courageous in it.
That’s why visual footage from recorded devices like mobile phones proves invaluable to news reports aiming to relate quality coverage. Such recordings include the striking visual, the associated noises and the descriptive overtone of what is news and the category it fits into.
What about you? Do you consider yourself courageous?
Some people that are quick to say yes, may find that come to the crunch they are the ones who must give it up to the usually quiet loner who tend to be not only more observant and studious, but who would not see themselves as the courageous type.
But it likely depends on the situation too.
Fact is that how we would each respond given the call for courage is greatly unknown until we are in such a situation.
Why?
Because of the emotional sentinel.*