Courage

Because I don’t already do enough overthinking I’ve been reading The Meaning of Things: Applying Philosophy to Life by A.C. Grayling.  In one chapter he speaks about Courage and how it doesn’t necessarily only have to apply to entering into great feats.  It can be as small as handling factors of day to day life.  Courage is typically thought of as a warrior virtue and wherever “endurance, grit, and determination” are required in the face of a physical challenge such as a sports field or battle or something similar.  Though courage certainly would be required in such activities, he quotes the words of Seneca (a Roman philosopher), who says that “merely to live is itself an act of courage."

Courage can apply to handling “grief, illness, disappointment, pain, struggle, poverty, loss, terror, heartache” which are all “common features of the human condition.”  It’s interesting to think about how the latter conditions may seem more difficult to deal with than perhaps hiking up Everest  

Living with these conditions day to day takes so much courage to mark our own individual responses to the world.  To face whatever condition you live with takes the strength to put fear aside, or to learn to live with it, and face what troubles you. Courage allows us to face attributes such as fear, defeat, and sorrow and can promote hope or resilience.  Courage is what allows us to live our best lives and achieve our goals.

I’m writing about the virtue of Courage because I know that we all need it in our lives.  We’re all going through something that requires some courageous acts so I thought I’d share with you what I have recently been reading about it.  I also recommend Grayling’s book, it’s an easy read and a kind of “self help” book without actually being one.  If you like philosophy, this book will certainly get you overthinking everything.