Definition Of Courage Essay

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear,” said by Nelson Mandela. Being a courageous individual does not make one fearless, in fact it may make said individual a very fearful man. No one calls a man who runs into a fire for fun courageous, because he is idiotic. On the other hand, a man who sees the bright flames and is petrified, but runs in because he heard the innocent screams of a young child is a courageous man. The definition of courage says “The quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear,” (Dictionary.com). Without fear? If someone is without fear then what are

Many might say that a man who refuses to fight is a coward, but Desmond Doss is anything but a coward. “Desmond Doss’ religion forbade him from carrying a gun or threatening another human life, which was very inconvenient when he was drafted into the Second World War,” (Eleven Incredible Acts of Courage). Many people see this and wonder what use he was if he refused to fight, and it even says he received ridicule from the other soldiers. One day, however, his unit was attacked by the Japanese soldiers, his unit was overcome with the odds stacked against them. In a time of chaos where he would seem useless, he became the most courageous man in his division. “Doss quickly rigged up a stretcher that could be lowered by a series of ropes and pulleys to the ground below. Then, by himself and under fire, he retrieved each soldier in his unit one at a time and lowered them to safety,” (Eleven Incredible Acts of Courage). Doss, the man who was seen as a coward for refusing to fight, saved 75 men while under enemy fire. Doss looked his fear dead in the eye, and then ran straight into it, 75 times. Doss was a man of true courage. Doss endured through the taunting he received from his own unit for refusing to fight, and then persevered through what many would describe as hell, and save 75 men by