The Art and Science of Courage
“Courage is found in the quiet moment between stimulus and response, and only when we keep ourselves in a grounded, intentional place of confidence and choice by metabolizing fear.”
Throughout millennia, courage has been universally admired. From Aristotle, who heralded it as “the first of human virtues because it makes all others possible,” to Biblical narratives, ancient myths, and fairy tales; film, fiction, and poetry; and historical accounts and personal stories, our human culture is steeped in inspirational tales of bravery and heroism. And yet philosophers, theologians, social scientists, and, more recently, neuroscientists are still struggling to define what courage is and where it comes from. Nature or nurture? The body, mind, spirit, or soul? Some combination thereof? One thing they all seem to agree on is that “fear and courage are brothers,” as Proverbs suggests.
The Intimate Relationship Between Courage And Fear
Mark Twain wrote that “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” Nelson Mandela seconded this: “The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear,” adding, “I am the captain of my soul.” Ralph Waldo Emerson…
