Courage is a mysterious and little understood thing. We know it when we see it. But we don’t really know where it comes from. We see someone confronted with a challenging, perhaps impossible, set of odds. We know that the rational response is for him or her to surrender, to submit, to run away, even to acquiesce or conform. Yet, they don’t. The summon up the will to fight, to push forward no matter the consequence. And this is called ‘courage.’ It draws on a power larger than self, a faith, an instinctive knowledge that there is in fact, no other choice. As Nelson Mandela famously said, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.”
Have you ever been faced with a moment where you must confront one of your most overwhelming fears? Have you ever found yourself in a situation that compels you to go above and beyond what you thought you might be capable of? On any given day, we might be faced with one of these moments and we have a choice: do we act courageously, or do we give into our fear? Over the last few weeks, the world has been witness to incredible examples of courage from the country of Ukraine, most notably their President Volodymyr Zelensky. In the first week of the invasion of his country, he was offered the chance to evacuate and instead of doing so, he staunchly responded by saying, “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride." Since then, President Zelensky and many of his compatriots have bravely resisted their unjust aggressor, showing the world what courage under fire truly looks like. But what compels such courage? How, in a world that often projects hostility towards our aspirations, do individuals choose courage over fear?
There’s a line from the movie Miracle about the 1980 US Men's Hockey team, where coach Hal Brooks says to his team on the eve of playing the Russians for the gold medal match, “Great moments are born from great opportunity.” When you read between the lines, what this means is that when we’re confronted by a challenge, and likely our rational fears that come along about how we face said challenge, we have a choice. We have a choice to understand such a moment as an opportunity to either accept fear or practice courage. It doesn’t mean we are no longer fearful. It means we choose to move forward regardless of our fears. If you think back on any notable moment in history, whether it be sports, politics, or beyond, those moments were only made possible because individuals chose to put their fears aside for the ones they loved, a value they believed in, or a country they cherished. There are many examples right here at home as well, most notably with our men and women in uniform.
Sometimes we may often think of courage as something innate within someone. To a large extent it does reside deep within our being. Yet it is often also a practice, a practice that can become habit, often with sacrifice, sacrifice that may make us question whether or not being courageous is worth it in the end. However, as we’ve seen in Ukraine, the courageousness and sacrifice of President Zelensky and the millions of Ukrainians who have chosen to fight alongside him have demonstrated what happens when we practice courage rather than choose fear. They’ve been an extraordinary beacon of hope during a very uncertain time, and a shining example of how courage empowers others to act courageously as well, creating a groundswell of momentum that ultimately allows the human spirit to thrive. Not only that, but this demonstration of courage reminds me of just how powerful and important a weapon courage is, and has been, when it comes to the advancement of our collective good throughout history. Fortunately, during our lives, most of us will have the good fortune of never having to face the kinds of challenges those on the ground in Ukraine currently face. However, let their examples of courage and sacrifice encourage us, inspire us, and reinforce the notion that no matter what you feel when faced with life's challenges, courage is a force for good and will always triumph positively over fear.
