Courage

 When ever I hear the word courage, I really have to stop and think about what it actually is. I tend to get confused about its real definition because I think of courage as a word that has many definitions and meanings. I am actually glad that there is a blog about courage because now I get to express what I feel that courage is all about. And maybe and I can finally figure out what courage is. So I will begin to explain what courage is, in my honest opinion.
     Is courage chasing a bank robber down the street until he is caught? To be honest, I do not believe that this is a courageous act. You are putting yourself in danger to catch a criminal just so you can become a local hero. If he stole your money and you wanted to get it back, I can consider that courageous because you have a reason to chase him down. Other than that, this act wouldn't fall under the category of courage. Is courage shooting down an enemy plane from a hideout on a mountaintop? Now this act, in my opinion, is very courageous. I believe this because you must be very talented to shoot down a plane like that and you must have tons of courage to accomplish something like that. There are many things that people consider courageous in their eyes, but others may find it to be the opposite. These two acts fall under that category because they can go either way. It is just the way people look at it.
     Courage can be other things as well. A physically challenged person making her way down the street is a courageous act in my opinion. Some people are very embarrassed to have a disability and they tend to hideout from others so they are not made fun of. It hurts to say this, but people sometimes do make fun of others who have disabilities. I think it is very wrong for them to do that because it was not the persons choice to be physically challenged. Is courage a father working a twelve hour day in a horrible job to pay the rent and feed his children? This is one of the most courageous things you could ever do in my opinion. You are doing whatever you can to put food on the table for the one's that you love. You would rather not work all day, but you have too in order to survive. And the fact that the job is horrible shows your courage right there. It is a horrible job and most likely doesn't pay that much. But you keep on working so you can feed your children and pay rent. There's nothing more courageous than that.
     A courageous person does not have to just be an adult. There are kids out there that have so much courage. You may even find a child who is more courageous than an adult. Animals are also courageous. The example of the father working twelve hours a day falls in the same category as an animal. The mother/father animal has to go out there and find food for it's babies so they can survive. So the answer to the question is that anybody can have courage.
     Courage is when you show no fear, and are willing to put others first so that things are made right. Courage permits one to face danger and difficulties without fear. Do I know anyone in my life whom I'd define as courageous? In my opinion, the most courageous people in this world are people in the military. They show no fear and risk their lives for our country to make things right. I can't see what would top that, and I am pretty sure that others agree with me.