What Was Rosa Parks Brave Or Courageous?

Whether it is learning to ride a bike, attending the first day of school, or beginning any new chapter in life, we are often told to have courage. However, what is not clear to society is what exactly courage is. Courage is having the inner strength, despite fear and opposition, to publicly pursue something that one believes to have veracity. The crucial distinction of courage from its commonly interchanged synonyms, such as bravery, is that courage involves social or outward conflict as well as conscious deliberation of the consequences before taking action. Whereas bravery is more encompassed by acting boldly in disregard of the fear that others may be stiffened by. Thus, courage takes more time and its standards are set by the individual

She was not fearless. She was not bold or audacious. She was courageous. On that day, Parks, a black American civil rights activist, was arrested because she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man, therefore violating the city’s racial segregation ordinances. (“Rosa Parks”). Parks’s conduct went against social norm and law. She acted not only in spite of possible fear of loss of freedom, but it was also the love she had for herself and her self-confidence that told her that she had the right to stay seated. So she did, even while other passengers shouted insults at her. Courageous acts, like Parks’s, are honored greatly today. One of the most prestigious awards that someone can receive for courage is the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage. The most recent winner of this award, is the 2016 recipient, 15-year-old Zaevion Dobson. Instead of running like he was told, Dobson was shot and killed while shielding three of his friends from gunfire, ultimately giving his life in order to save theirs (Nesheim). Through examples like Parks and Dobson one is given a better understanding of what it means to have courage. In light of these examples, there is no doubt that it requires a great deal of strength, will and heart to be courageous. While writing this essay, I examined at my own life and could not recall a single instance where I have been courageous, but I was able to remember many of my acts of bravery. The reason why it is so hard to be courageous, and why so very few people are, is because it is already arduous to overcome any hardship alone, but without any external support, the tribulation becomes even more difficult. It is hard to try to succeed in what you believe to be right, when the majority of the people around you want to fail. It hard to act out of love and push fear decide. It is hard to go against the social norm. It hard to stand alone. Yes, courage is hard, but it is also