How to be Courageous When You’re Afraid of Everything
Four Steps to Courage
I have a confession to make; I abhor the movie, The Wizard of Oz. I know it is a classic movie millions have loved and cherished but, not me. While watching it as a young child, I was afraid from start to finish. Of what, you ask? Here’s an abbreviated list: I was terrified when:
1. Margaret Hamilton took Toto and placed him in the basket of her bicycle.
2. The tornado hit the house.
3. The Wicked Witch of the West appeared.
4. The flying monkeys appeared (this was the worst one).
5. The hourglass is running out of time and Dorothy is beseeching Auntie Em for help.
6. The Wizard is introduced.
I can laugh about my fears now but I think it’s ironic that the movie I was horrified of as a child had a supporting character that embodied my fears, the Cowardly Lion. Circumstances force this character to confront his fears.
In my language arts classroom, I often find my students have a difficult time when I ask them to explain what a word means. They will often use other forms of the word in their definitions. I’ll explain to them that using another form of the word does not define what it means and will often follow up with another question; I’ll ask them what the word is not, or the opposite meaning. They can answer this type of question successfully, much of the time.
When considering what courage means, many people incorrectly define it. Let’s think about what courage is not.
1. Courage is not the absence of fear. A person is not courageous because he/she is not afraid in an adverse situation.
2. Audacity is not a part of the core of courage. Audacity is being shamelessly brave. The “in your face” type of action when confronted with frightening things; its passive aggression.
3. The opposite of courage is not discouragement. Discouragement is feeling depression and gloom; it often handicaps a person, preventing them from doing anything about its source.
What is courage? The word courage comes from the Latin words, cor; meaning heart and aev, meaning lifetime. It means to put one’s heart or soul on the line, continually. While bravery is often placing your body on the line, courage requires you to put your soul, including your vulnerabilities, on display.
Setting all religious debate aside, just observing the characters of the Old Testament, many are examples of the virtues of mankind and examples of his vices, as well.
In the Old Testament book of Numbers, Moses sends 12 men into the Promised Land to spy. They were to observe the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses. In chapter 13, the spies surreptitiously covered the land, making mental notes. They saw the land was good for farming; there were flourishing fruits and multiple water sources. A land “flowing with milk and honey.” That was the good news.
There was a downside to entering the Promised Land and this information horrified many. The spies reported there were large, fortified cities. Archeologists have discovered many of these cities had double walls surrounding them with look-out posts throughout. If these bits of information were not daunting enough, the spies also reported there were giants that lived throughout the land, a big advantage when engaging in hand to hand combat. Numbers 14 reveals the children of Israel acted on their fear and chose not to be courageous.
When I observe and read about people of courage throughout history, I discover courage is not a feeling; courage comprises four steps.
1. First, courage is a choice an individual makes.
This specific choice is best described by a professor I had in college, who said, “You must choose by the act of the will.” It is a mental choice.
2. This choice should result from what you know rather than on how you feel.
When we are in our teens (and sometimes even older), we often made choices based on what we feel; this was often a bad thing. As we mature, we realize feelings fluctuate and are not always the best barometers when we consider the facts of a situation.
3. Courage demands you take all information into consideration.
It is easy to let the stress of the moment take over your judgment but it’s important that you weigh all the information concerning a situation before you make your choice.
Many times, we are afraid of a “thing” that makes the most “noise,” when, actually, it is only a small component of the situation. Consideration of all the facts is important to make a courageous decision.
4. Courage requires action.
When you weigh all considerations, the courageous individuals are those who act based on the facts and not on feelings.
In the book, The Wizard of Oz, by Frank Baum, the wizard understands courage and what it requires. He tells the lion near the end of the novel, “you are a victim of disorganized thinking,” which is also true of those of us who chose not to act courageously. The wizard eventfully gives the lion a metal of courage because he destroyed the Wicked Witch of the West, despite his fears. It’s a good illustration of courage but, for the record, it’s not enough for me to change my thoughts and feelings about this movie.
