As Americans, we are surrounded by tales of courage. Being courageous is the subject of many cartoons, picture books, history classes, television shows, movies and music. You would think that after all the exposure to this important virtue, we would be pretty good at finding courage inside ourselves. However, it seems like many people don’t understand that true courage is the byproduct of another important virtue – compassion.
Think about the many war stories you have either heard of or seen portrayed in movies. The selfless soldier throws himself in harm’s way in order to save the lives of his fellow platoon members. But this same story is played out in many different forms:
- The young lady that donates an organ to a fellow human being
- The school boy that stands up to the class bully
- The insider that speaks up and exposes a corrupt company
All of these are acts of courage that are fueled first by compassion and this is why we place such a high importance on this virtue. It is in many of ways the most humane way to live one’s life. But there seems to be a lot of confusion in the online (and real) world about courage.
Participating in social media and the online world is a privilege, one that should be treated with great respect and compassion. There are so many great online communities and movements to be a part of. Unfortunately, there are also tons of people out there that use these mediums to scream, point fingers and disrespect others. None of these behaviors are acts of courage.
Courage is not
- Blaming others
- An unwillingness to listen
- Yelling so your opinions can be heard
It doesn’t take an ounce of courage to blindly point fingers and blame others for what is wrong in the world. These are acts of anger and cowardice. Some of this behavior can be attributed to ignorance and scariness that comes with a world immersed in change. But don’t hide behind ignorance and change.
True courage is born of compassion. It is demonstrated through a person’s willingness to open up, take responsibility for his own actions, and desire to be changed by the people around him.
