What is Courage?

[Iniko Ujaama]

I would like to get from ones here what they understand as/by courage? A recent conversation has caused me to revisit my ideas about it. I have not resolved my understanding of it as yet but I would like to hear others views on it.

[Zaynab]

Our perceptions of many things are dependent upon our level of understanding at a particular point in time.

I, since childhood was told that being courageous meant standing up for myself. This is the most elementary definition of courage, the one that some of us are taught growing up. Courage is still that simple phrase; the self and our idea of self grows as we mature spiritually. As the self becomes more conscious our perceptions become more conscious. Your self is the highest you, your inner truth or conscience. Standing up for that is courage.

I remember seeing a poster in a classroom when I was a teenager with the words, “Stand up for what is right, even if you are standing alone”, at that time I was unaware of its deeper meaning. It had made sense because of its relevance to the environment in which it was placed. In any classroom setting there are students who are afraid of speaking out against the popular children, their friends or the bullies so it was a statement that resonated with me. It was only later with GROWTH, that I understood that action to be courage.

Courage is the ability to stand up for what you know or believe to be true, even if all the odds are stacked against you. This is “standing up for your SELF” or one's SELF.

Courage is holding firm to your truths (SELF REALIZATIONS) and demonstrating this by putting your life on the line for these truths: The truths that YOU have come to realize through your spiritual growth and development. This is what I understand courage to be at this point in MY growth and development.

 
Peace, Zainab
 

[Iniko Ujaama]

This is helpful. So one person's demonstation of courage may not look like the next person's? So someone's level of consciousness and understanding of truth will determine how and where they demonstrate their courage?

I guess the narrow ways in which ones grow to understand courage and blind them and others to their own courage from which they can grow and develop even further. And cowardice and courage and can mixed up sometimes.

I have tended to deemphasize certain areas where I have shown courage perhaps toward developing those areas where I have not. But it might still be more complex than I see it presently. Within society we come to learn so many over-simplified notions of things that it makes its EASY to fall into illusion(masculine, feminine, democracy, justice, sex, love, truth, reality, freedom etc). These notions may be functional for certain peoples at certain times but we are usually not told of the extent of their applicability.

So showing courage is part of being your best SELF. Naturally

thanks

[Zaynab]

Greetings,

"Our perceptions of many things are dependent upon our level of understanding at a particular point in time."
What this means is, as we develop, we realize more and more truths. The process of development is striving for the ultimate truth. So, truths discovered on this journey would be just an aspect of this total/all-encompassing truth, within our limited understanding at that particular point in time.

To answer your questions:

“So someone's level of consciousness and understanding of truth will determine how and where they demonstrate their courage?"

No, someone’s level of consciousness and understanding of truth will not determine how and where they demonstrate their courage but it will determine how well they see/realize and assess truths.

"So one person's demonstation of courage may not look like the next person's?”
“So showing courage is part of being your best SELF. Naturally”

Not always, because some people show courage in carrying out dishonest acts, for example, stealing. Courage and even desperation is a manifestation of inner strength, it could be used for good or bad. For courage to be from your higher self it must come together with integrity. With that said, showing courage is not part of being your best SELF. Having integrity is.

“Within society we come to learn so many over-simplified notions of things that it makes its EASY to fall into illusion(masculine, feminine, democracy, justice, sex, love, truth, reality, freedom etc). These notions may be functional for certain peoples at certain times but we are usually not told of the extent of their applicability.”

Added to your statement highlighted above, it is also the lack of integrity in addressing these issues that causes us to view things in an illusionary state. It is the inability of the persons who perform these discriminatory acts to understand the history of said acts and move to right wrongs. It is the inability to see or be concerned with the repercussions suffered by those who feel the brunt of these issues. Because of this, society will delude its self and easily fall into illusions about these and many other things.

 Peace, Zainab

[Iniko Ujaama]

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.
~James Neil Hollingworth