“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear”
Mark Twain
This section is all about how courage is often born out of adversity.
People stand up every day for something that really matters to them.
It’s interesting to note what the word “Courage” really means. The word “cour” or “cor” comes from the Latin and means “of the heart”. You can see more here.
Stories Of Courage is a free downloadable book by Penguin that gives eight stories of everyday courage. In fact, the stories are so good, it is used as a Teacher’s resource. The book is an inspiring collection of eight true stories about exceptionally brave people from all around the globe. Each person in the book demonstrates remarkable courage and determination, making every story truly inspirational. Thanks Penguin!
1. In Running for her Life, Ana Quirot, a Cuban world-class sprinter, suffers terrible burns one day in an accident at home. Over several months Ana re-learns to walk and run, until she is once again winning medals for her country.
2. “Matthew” is just one of the many brave refugees in Sudan who escaped persecution to set up a successful life abroad. He traveled thousands of kilometers after running away, eventually finding peace and freedom in a far off land.
3. Odette Sansom was a British spy working as part of the French Resistance against Nazi Germany. Despite being imprisoned, tortured and sentenced to death, she remained loyal to her country. Her brave actions helped save thousands of people’s lives.
4. Chico Mendez is a Brazilian who devoted his life to the protection of the Amazon rainforest. He brought to the worlds attention the importance of the Amazon’s natural resources and it’s ongoing destruction. He was killed under very suspicious circumstances in 1988. His work to save areas of the forest still continues successfully in his name.
5. Burmese Aung San Suu Kyi is the unofficial leader of Burma. In 1988 her government was removed from power by the Burmese army, and shortly afterward she was placed under house arrest. In 1991 she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace, and continues to fight for her people’s freedom.
6. Aron Ralston is a US-born hiker whose arm became trapped in a remote region of Utah, USA. He saved his own life by cutting off his own arm and walking to safety.
7. Erin Brockovich is an ordinary mother living in America. She discovered a large, rich company was acting dishonestly and thereby putting people’s lives at risk. Against almost insuperable odds, she helped win one of the US biggest court cases against one of the most powerful companies in the world.
8. Dr. Fumio Shigeto, Kenzaburo Oe, and Hikari Oe is a remarkable story of how one person’s courage can inspire it in others. Oe was a journalist writing about the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. He meets Dr. Shigeto who changes his life forever. Inspired by his integrity, Oe is able to come to terms with his own problems. Hikari, Oe’s disabled son thus reaches a measure of success and fulfillment not otherwise possible.
This video called “Earth Is Our Business” may not seem to be about courage, but it exemplifies standing up to be counted, and also shows some directions in which more effort is needed. Polly Higgins also mentions much more of interest in her seventeen minutes:
This is part one of a series about Ghandi. His non-violent stance on a whole range of issues took immense personal courage, and many people still put him at the pinnacle of what courage is: