Table of Contents
Courage is a conscious skill of a person and the ability to control the internal emotional state, to correct actions in extreme situations. In most cases, courage requires a serious, difficult moment in a person’s life. It can be either artificial or sudden. It can be smooth, and it can be unexpected and very strong (a serious turning point in life, often associated with human life itself, most often comes unexpectedly). Courage is the power to overcome obstacles; it is one of the main qualities of a worthy and noble person. The determination and courage of such people, who can act in extreme situations, take risks and win, are key components of success.
A person’s courage is often regarded as a moral quality of a person, which indicates the ability of people to conquer emerging fear, overcome uncertainty and danger, and deal with various difficulties and consequences. The main features of courage as a personal quality are meaningfulness, timeliness, and prudence during decision making of problems and issues arising in the course of activity. They also are the subsequent translation of decisions made into reality, the absence of fear of accepting responsibility for one’s choice, and implementing it even in conditions of possible risk to one’s health and life.
The Role of Courage in Human Life
Many examples of the people’s courage in history and literature allow us to note that the more vivid manifestations of this personal quality are considered feats, initiative, determination, and opposition to the formed false opinion or representation. For example, speaking of the mass manifestation of people's courage, history contains information about many events, namely, wars, revolutions, and scientific discoveries that were accompanied by persecution of scientists and even cruel reprisals against them (Roger Bacon, Nicolaus Copernicus, Giordano Bruno, Miguel Servet, Galileo Galilei, Nikola Tesla, etc.).
Examples of courage are found in modern times too. There are a lot of people who faced critical situations in their lives but did not give up and did not succumb to fear. Thus, courage is a typical feature of people who save lives (rescuers, paramedics) or are forced to overcome daily natural biologically determined human fears associated with the instinct of self-preservation (pilots, astronauts). People who, in spite of all the difficulties encountered on their way of life, did not break are also called brave. Despite the fact that, in most cases, courage is considered as a positive personal quality, it may be appropriate or inappropriate in a particular situation. Courage is considered appropriate when it is directed towards building cooperation, is notable for its awareness and meaningfulness, the existence of a plan and strategy for action in a particular situation, as well as various forms of response, depending on external factors. The courage of a person includes certain character traits that allow one to determine the presence or absence of this personality feature (perseverance, dedication, confidence in oneself and one’s strengths). Human courage can be developed like any other skill. To do this, you only need to define the goal and choose the most optimal ways and methods to achieve the intended result.
