How do you strengthen your courage in the face of fear? In 2009, Typhoon Ketsana (known as Tropical Storm Ondoy) ravaged the Philippines bringing the heaviest rains the islands had seen in over 40 years. The resulting floods killed more than 140 people, but in the midst of the darkness of horrific tragedy, a ray of hope beamed forth. His name is Muelmar Magallanes, an 18 year old construction worker who gave his life to save over 30 people.
The Inspiration of Courageous Stories
The courage shown by Muelmar in the face of great tragedy is nothing new. Yet even as we hear stories like this, of heroes running into the devastation of the collapsing Twin Towers on 9/11 and even more recently in the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Harvey in Houston, we are inspired and amazed by the incredible courage people show in the face of fear.
If you’re like me, when we hear these stories and witness them from a distance, we look within ourselves and wonder if we have what it takes to do the same thing. Faced with the decision about a courageous act, could I do what the hero does? Could I dive into the raging torrent of flood waters to pull someone out? Would I run into the burning building, placing my life in jeopardy to save someone else?
These inspirational stories all have in common dire circumstances and danger as well as an unlikely hero who acts selflessly in the face of it all. And even as we hear of heroes unflinching in the face of peril, we also hear of cowards who do not respond. The “Genovese Syndrome” or Bystander effect is a psychological phenomenon where the presence of others discourages someone to act or intervene in an emergency situation. Stories where someone in difficulty or horror isn’t helped by bystanders are as common yet less sensationalized for obvious reasons. Recently five Florida teenagers watched and video-taped a drowning man, mocking him as he fell victim to the ocean without one of them daring to brave the waters to help him. Instead of calling the police for help, they decided to post the video of his death on social media.
What is Courage?
What makes the difference? What makes someone a hero? What gives someone courage in the face of fear? Aristotle, one of the wisest philosophers, was taught by Plato (who himself learned from Socrates) and went on to tutor Alexander the Great?—?one of the greatest conquerors of all time. Whatever you may say about Alexander, you cannot say that he lacked courage in the face of danger. He commonly led his army by taking a position at the front of the vanguard. In speaking about courage, Aristotle said this:
“Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.”
Aristotle notes that courage connects to all the other virtues. He developed an ethical system known as virtue ethics. In this system, a virtue is the mean (middle or median) of moderation in a quality that falls between two extremes: deficiency and excess. So using courage as an example, a deficiency of the virtue would be cowardice and an excess, rashness. The virtue of courage lies somewhere between the excess and the deficiency depending on the context of the situation. In his Nicomachean Ethics, he suggests that courage is both being fearful and bold but at the right time, in the right manner, and for the right reason. The right reason refers to the motivation. The “why” behind an act – it’s purpose or “final cause.” For an act to qualify as courageous, the motivation for the act must be a noble or “fine” cause such as saving a life or helping another person. Again, courage is not the lack of fear, but being bold in the face of fear for a noble cause.
And though we would usually characterize life and death situations as “noble,” courage isn’t only found in situations of life and death. We all face courageous decisions each day. CS Lewis put it like this: “courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” What he meant was that whenever we are faced with a choice to act virtuously, it requires courage. Whenever we are tested to lie or be honest, it requires courage. Whenever we are called to give of ourselves to someone in need, or selfishly refrain, it requires courage. Whenever we are called to love rather than hate, it requires courage. This is why courage is so necessary today and everyday.
How to strengthen your courage in the face of fear?
Though there are plenty of psychological “hacks” out there to try and build courage such as re-framing the situation to make it appear easier than it is, creating an alter ego that will do battle instead of you, or visualizing a game plan in which you account for how to act in certain situations, these downplay the virtue that we are talking about. This is about personal growth and understanding our purpose. If you’re looking to get started finding a purpose, read this article, Why a Personal Development Plan Will Make You a Better Person.
How can we strengthen our courage? Here are a couple of suggestions:
1. It’s about character.
As with the rest of Aristotle’s virtues, we are talking here about developing a quality inside of ourselves that defies quantification. How can we measure our courage? This is a difficult task. However, we usually know when we have it and when we don’t. Character is about the kind of person you will be, a quality difficult to measure. Virtues run deep. And in some way, these virtues are all connected to one another. Truthfulness requires courage. So in developing honesty, you in a small way develop courage. Justice requires courage. So in developing a greater sense of justice, we in a way develop courage. To reverse engineer Lewis’ quote, if courage is the virtue at the testing point of every other virtue, than by developing those virtues and strengthening them in our lives, we strengthen our courage as well.
2. Test your courage regularly.
The story of David and Goliath has always fascinated me. Malcolm Gladwell wrote an excellent book on the topic which re-framed the story for me, but his perspective doesn’t take away from the fact that David needed courage to face a giant in deadly combat. How did David develop his courage? The text gives us a clue in the narrative. Picking up in 1 Samuel 17:
David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
David’s courage had been tested against smaller foes. And even though we might consider a lion and bear pretty stout opponents, these earlier battles strengthened his courage and confidence and enabled him to have the mental fortitude to face Goliath.
Many times each day, we also have little battles where our courage can be tested. And when we step up to the plate and make the courageous choice, we get accustomed to being courageous. It becomes a habit. Other times we succumb and give in because maybe it doesn’t really mean much, or it’s just a small thing. In reality, it means a lot because it is preparation for bigger foes. So, don’t take the easy way out. Don’t take the shortcut. Step into the battle and face the foe head on, no matter how small. Build a habit of courageous decisions.
3. Rehearse stories of courage.
Narratives are powerful influencers in our lives. If you talk to people about movies, you will find that many people see themselves through movies and characters they watch and remember. There is something about the power of a story to inspire us and to help us find meaning in life and in ourselves. When we see or read or hear stories of courage, we can imagine ourselves in those same circumstances. Deep down, we all desire to fill the role of hero. Joseph Campbell wrote The Hero With a Thousand Faces, describing the overarching narrative of every story – the Hero’s journey.
When we hear stories of courage, they inspire us to be courageous as well. When we fill our minds with tales of overcoming obstacles we find a desire to be courageous and overcome our obstacles. Stories are powerful and we can do well to use the power of narratives to help us become the people we want to be. So, watch movies that inspire your courage. Read books about inspirational people. Listen to podcasts where people talk about overcoming adversity and failures in their lives (shameless plug here for my podcast on iTunes – Mind For Life.) These stories can help us to begin to develop a courageous mindset. And when it comes to courage, the mental aspect is 90% of the battle.
There’s no guarantee that we will find ourselves in a situation like Muelmar, where we must decide to courageously give our lives for someone else. But I can guarantee that each day, you will have opportunities to test your virtue – to have courage. Even if the fears seem small every test, every trial, every obstacle, every fear is an opportunity to build and strengthen your courage. Every small choice is, as Faramir said in The Lord of The Rings, a chance to test our quality.
Awesome, insightful, motivating.