Stories of Courage: The Unreluctant

The emphasis on reluctance in this blog has up until now focused on things like inhibition, avoidance and the costs of not acting or not speaking up.

I want to switch focus now and instead give attention to some stories of courage, stories of people doing the uncommon thing despite obstacles.

The first story is taken from the collection available at Storycorp; to listen to the story of Julio Diaz go to:
http://www.storycorps.net/listen.

Mr. Diaz was robbed at gunpoint in a New York City subway; he managed to befriend the robber, provide him with a meal and in the end got him to return his money and give him the knife.

It’s a great story and shows how reluctance to be brave can be overcome with a little moxie and clever dealing. It is well to be reminded that giving in to our less honorable impulses is not always the best course even though it might look that way in a moment of time.

Adrianna Huffington in her book On Becoming Fearless (2006) quotes Socrates to the effect that courage is knowledge of what is not to be feared.

Stanley Coopersmith in his book The Antecedents of Self Esteem (1967) says courage happens when a person is able to express his convictions and tolerate the distress and possible ostracisim that might eventuate from dissent. Where courage is lacking, he says, the individual’s convictions …strong though they may be… come to nothing. Where conviction is lacking, the views that are expressed by dint of courage are likely to lack force and influence.

Rollo May argues in his book Man’s Search for Himself (1983) that courage means to let go of the familiar and the secure. He suggests that a man is uncourageous because he thinks too poorly of himself. He argues further that it is only from acceptance of finitude, and acting on it, that one develops the powers that one does possess.

May seems to be suggesting that courage is the ability to move ahead despite ambiguities, difficulties and uncertainty. It Relates to moving ahead in the face of the dialectic between conviction and doubt.

Mark's Blog