Laya Dababneh
Dababneh 1
Professor Thacker
English 1313
08 October 2023
What is Courage?
Courage is one of the virtuous values that are hard to acquire. To be courageous is the
ability to be selfless and set fear aside. Having courage will not only have significance on a
person, but it will also allow them to influence others around them. Courage is the strength of the
mind to carry on despite danger or difficulty.
Courage requires plenty of care and love from a person. A courageous person must be
able to put others before themself as well as be willing to put themself in a dangerous situation to
help others. Jesus Christ demonstrated courage when he sacrificed his life and died on the cross
in front of hundreds of people. He sacrificed himself to save his believers, which demonstrated
how much he truly cared and loved his people. Jesus accepted a significant amount of
humiliation and torture simply because he valued the eternal lives of his people over his own life.
Another example of a courageous person is Mother Teresa. Even though Mother Teresa was
discriminated against because of her ‘different’ education and ‘improper’ English accent, she still
dared to do what she believed was right. Her selflessness helped her care for the homeless and
the people that were suffering. Despite the illness that she developed as she grew older, Mother
Teresa continued to put others before herself and help them. Her courage to do what she desired
gained her the gift of love and true happiness. Mother Teresa dedicated her whole life to making
a difference in others.
However, nothing in life comes on a silver platter or without risks; if something is wanted
something, courage is needed to go and work for it no matter what it takes. A huge part of being
Dababneh 2
a courageous person, other than prioritizing other people, is having the confidence to do the
action and putting fear to the side. No matter the amount of danger or risk, what needs to be done
gets done due to the courageousness the person has and their desire to bring forth change. A great
example of this form of courage is Martin Luther King. Martin Luther King knew the amount of
danger he would be in when he was advocating for the equal rights of African Americans, but he
did it anyway. With the courage that Martin Luther King had to fight for his rights despite the
dangers, he helped African Americans obtain civil rights across the country. Martin Luther King
helped bring about the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of
1965. Despite the threats that he continuously received, or the fact that he was one of the FBI’s
targets, Martin Luther put his fear to the side to fight for what he believed was right. He put up a
fight for what he believed deserved a fight. Another person who set their fear to the side was
Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela fought against apartheid, for a better world where freedom,
justice, and dignity of all were respected. Nelson Mandela dared to stand up against racist people
and teach them how to love themselves first to love others. He was not afraid of the harm that
racists might cause him because he had a goal he wanted to achieve, and he was able to put his
fear aside to achieve it.
Courage is the ability to do something difficult even when there is a possibility of
exposure to harm; it does not equal fearlessness but going into the unknown despite all fears.
Being courageous is to be willing to prioritize others, being mindful of the risks, and making the
conscious decision to do something anyway.