Mark Edmundson Courage

It is no secret that today’s society is fast paced and success oriented. People live their lives as if money and work are the ultimate sources of happiness, despite the popular proverb that suggests precisely the opposite. In his article, Mark Edmundson delves into this catastrophe and attempts to explain both how and why it occurs. He states in the first paragraph that he sees his students as “people who are in the process of choosing a way to make money and succeed, a strategy for getting on in life.” Edmundson says that the ideals of courage, wisdom and compassion are fading away in culture today. Instead, a culture obsessed with the shallow idea of material success is taking the old culture’s place. He describes this fading away as a conflict

People turn to entertainment, watching sports or playing videogames, in an attempt to appease this appetite for courage. Some people go as far as to liken a sporting event, such as football, to a warzone, which Edmundson says is delusional. While he writes that exhibiting true courage is dangerous, the implication is clear: acts of true courage are rare in society today. People today instead choose to engage in simulated courage in the form of a videogame hero slaying enemies or a movie hero conquering a deadly

Those who seek wisdom risk reaching for something that goes against their time or culture. This may result in society ostracizing the seeker. Today’s culture is used to news coming in rapid succession. It is rare for people to seek true wisdom in any given situation. Instead, the idea of “journalism” replaces “authentic thought”. Journalism stands for the idea of encountering and handling a situation in time for the next situation to flash across the news screen. This leaves no room for any true contemplation, which is the problem. The fact that news is in a constant rush as a river brings the idea that one cannot, or should not spend too much time contemplating any idea. Edmundson moves on from wisdom to the idea of compassion. He writes that current society seems to adopt an “every man for himself” ideology. The current culture is selfish to the point of obsession. Even Christians have turned their focus from the loving aspects of Christ in favor of the convicting, harsh aspects of God as the judge. Edmundson writes that even Christians will indulge an individualist view when pressure is