The Different Meaning of Courage - Essay Example

The average person derives an image of a superhero when thinking about courage. However, that is a limited view of what courage means. This is because it can be applied to so many other aspects of life. The second half of the definition in regards to negative forces is what allows for an individual perspective on the word. For example, courage can pertain to a person stopping a gunman from shooting another victim despite the immense danger he or she faces in possibly getting maimed or dying in the process.

On the other hand, courage can be reflected in the depths of an individual who recently became crippled and has to face the pain, difficulty, and fear of starting life in a new way with new challenges. Both situations involve a form of evil to some extent and being courageous is appropriately applied to the people involved. The situation also does not have to be a severe one that radically changes people’s lives. There is no indication in the definition of courage that there has to be a massive negative situation that happens to someone for it to maintain its context.

Courage can be applied to as little a situation as giving a successful speech in front of a classroom of students or having the courage to try something new whether it is a type of food or physical activity. Most would agree that animals or people who do not have a clear understanding of the term courage cannot be courageous. However, if you go by the actual definition, it fails to decipher whether having courage is a human attribute or not. The fact is that courage is a feat attributed to a mental or emotional state of mind.