p.1
1/15/16
Courage is powered by fear
Aristotle believed courage to be the most important quality in a man. “Courage is a mean with regard to fear” (Aristotle). Courage is the willingness to act in spite of fear. Courage is not the absence of fear; it requires fear. As a human being, fear is part of everyday life. Without the concept of the fear, courage wouldn’t exist. On the other hand, risk is, by nature, scary. It’s uncertain, unpredictable. Having the courage to take risks in life is important in order to conquer fears.
The belief in one’s unworthiness drives one to live a fear-based life. The fear of showing people one’s true self in order to avoid the one aspect, vulnerability, makes a person courageous. Fear and courage are …show more content…
Fear exists in everyone. No one lives without fear. Being fearless is not required to be courageous, one has to overcome fears in order to possess courage. Risks are involved when overcoming fears and going against the norm. Risks come in different types, risking life, risking reputations, risking limb. The greatest risk “is not taking any risk” (Mark Zuckerberg). A person must have courage to endure each particular risk. A person who is not courageous enough to take risks will “accomplish nothing in life” (Muhammad Ali). Courage happens anytime, anywhere, and any day. Courage is experienced by all; no matter how young, old, wise, or foolish. The effect of courage may not be positive, however, the outcome is remembered. The rewards have the potential to be great, but so do the …show more content…
A person is courageous when fear is present, yet they still choose to act in spite of it. Frederick Douglass demonstrated courage through his passion to learn, to read, to write. The risk of being caught was tremendous, “it is almost an unpardonable offence to teach slaves to read” (2). Without a risk, “there can be no progress” (Frederick Douglass). Douglass’s goal was to attain his freedom. He wanted to be acknowledged as equal to a white man. He refused to accept anything less than his own spiritual, physical, and intellectual