Where does courage come from?

There is no system really, which can instil courage in a human being. No formulas or techniques which can make us want to risk everything for the sake of  truth in the face of adversity. When I think about it this seems to be one of the major stumbling blocks of the human race.

There must be many of us who realise that things are not right in our lives and even have a suspicion as to what we need to do to feel better, except that fear prevents us from doing it.  And yet, if we don’t stand up for what we truly believe in, how can the world become a caring place, and one in which we all feel related to each other? 

Things don’t  change  just  by our meditating every day in the comfort of our homes or  by attending  workshops and seminars based on social development or spiritual themes.

Where does one get the courage to actually  do the little things we need to do, to make changes in one’s life and in one’s personal relationships, knowing that when you take a step into the unknown you risk losing everything you thought you had,  in that moment?  Is courage instinctive? Is it related to intelligence and to clear sightedness? If you see for example, that to withhold words or action in a particular situation could be detrimental to your well being and that of others as well, would that give you more incentive to do the right thing even if you knew that it would initially evoke a lot of disapproval?

Maybe the problem is that we don’t allow ourselves to see or to sense reality. We continue to live in our illusions as long as we possibly can – until our illusions end up destroying us and in the bargain the world around us as well. So eventually courage seems to be about the willingness to open your eyes and to allow yourself to see the truth. From this initial acceptance of “what is” seems to  flow everything that is good and wholesome.

Uma

Comments

[Ajeya]

OMG!!! I can't believe it! :) I hope you didn't mind my quoting from 'memoirs..' If it's a problem, I'll knock off the post. how surreal is this?!?!? :) so happy you dropped in :D

[uma]

No it was great reading your post Ajeya!

[Dwight]

Hi Uma,

For me, courage came when I saw how deep my 'mis-trust' of life ran and when I decided to take the 'leap of faith' and trust again. My little acts of courage (most consist of being honest about my feelings) bring 'freedom' and the motivation to continue facing my fears.

Dwight

[suresh]

Hi Uma,
I am learning that Courage has a (sometimes heavy) price to pay.

Finally, here comes a time in my life when i have to pay the price for Being what I am, and Doing what I thought is right for things to improve around myself, in face of all oppositions.

I cleaned up my rented appartment which was once a dirty place, and in accordance with the Landlord put in place 'rules' to follow to keep the house clean and neat.

Old habits die hard, so my room-mates don't like the idea of putting the litter in the garbage bin, or not messing up the kitchen gas-stove-platform.

I have changed the house into a clean house, becoz i hate to live in a garbage-bin.

In the process I earned a few enemies.

One of them has today threatened me that he would reveal my (sexual) Identity to other room-mates as well as the Land-lord.

I keep my poise and try not to panic. Every gay person, has to face such a situation one time or another in his life I think.

My room-mates will now have a perfect excuse to get rid of me. And my (devoutly Catholic) Landlord will surely throw me out of the house.

I had expressed my affections for this person who is blackmailing me now. I had revealed my sexual identity to him. Now he threatens to spill the beans because I put him on the list of Defaulters' who hadn't paid his part of the contributions for the domestic expenses.

Afraid, but still brave..
Much Love,
Suresh

[Andy]

There may not be a single universal system to develop courage, but the closest thing to it that I've come across is Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism.
There is often talk of courage there. I think you're on the right track that intelligence or probably moreso wisdom correlates to courage. In fact, courage is foolishness if there is no element of intelligence in the actor.
To act courageously, one must understand the dangers they face while understanding the potential effects of taking action (as well as non-action).
In Nichiren's Buddhism, we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to a representation of life depicting Buddhahood (called a Gohonzon) in order to "shine the mirror" of our lives so that we can have a clear reflection of the true nature of life.
I think I can honestly say that one benefit of my practice is enhanced courage. Granted, I still have fears, but I'm researching and may come into confrontations with my most misunderstood and most commonly feared enemy: The Government.
I don't feel there's any value in allowing fear to rule your life. I do many people won't even try, because they're afraid of (usually illusionary) consequences.
Courage becomes particularly important when you're trying to aid someone else. I've often held to a "don't help me and I won't help you unless you ask" policy, but there's times when I see someone clearing misbehaving and I feel its in my interest to bring it to their attention, since people often overlook their own misbehaviors. There can be consequences to this, like another commentor mentioned. But, usually in the "light of truth" when you lose friends for the sake of your own or their improvement, they're usually not worth having around anyways.
I also think the level of courage one manifests is correlated to their trust in themselves. I have trouble with this at times. I trust myself entirely, but I have a fairly cynical view of others, as I've been repeatedly disappointed. However, putting trust in others can be a very rewarding experience. Just make sure to have a backup plan. And it's fair to let people know the backup is in place to motivate them.
I diverge slightly, but I hope that people seek truth and develop the courage to stand up for what's right. For themselves and others.

[Uma]

Andy, you make a lot of sense. Wish there were more who could see things the way you do.

As for your comment above - "Granted, I still have fears, but I'm researching and may come into confrontations with my most misunderstood and most commonly feared enemy: The Government." That made me laugh because it is so true in my case too!

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