A few weeks ago I wrote about one of the character education words our basketball team had used: integrity. It generated a good response and discussion, so this week we are going to discuss another character ed term: courage.
Courage can mean different things to different people depending on the context and walk of life it’s used in. Simply put, courage is the mental or moral strength to persevere, and withstand difficulty or fear. Aristotle said, “You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.” To me courage is one of the most essential qualities one must possess. In order to achieve anything of value, one must possess the courage to chase his or her dreams.
In the film, We Bought a Zoo, there is a scene where a father and son share a moment. The son is having trouble dealing with the emotions and feelings he is developing for a girl. He doesn’t know whether or not to tell her about his feelings or even if he should at all. As the father and son are sitting there, the father tells his son the most important advice he’s ever received. This advice, which came from his brother, has guided him throughout his life. The advice is simple yet profound: “Sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage.” That’s it; just that amount of time is all that is needed to make a dream become a reality. It doesn’t matter if it’s a girl, a job, a sport; you need courage. If you want something bad enough, you must have the courage to go for it. Fear cannot win and prevent you from doing what you want. It’s been said that if you want something bad enough, you have to be willing to ask 1,000 people for it, even if it means being told “no” 999 times. The difference between those who are successful and those who are not is the successful ones have the courage to go after their dreams. They are not afraid of failure. That’s true courage.