What is courage, anyway? While this is one of the most well-known positive qualities that are ideal for many roles, the exact wording is often quite vague. In a general sense, people often understand by courage the absence of fear. This formulation is not surprising because of the roles commonly attributed to this trait. Following social stereotypes, among them should be, first of all, almost all men, who are assigned the role of defenders by default. Secondly, the representatives of the most “masculine” professions should have courage: military, police, firefighters. There is a certain logic in this because for those who constantly meet dangers on their way, it is essential not to succumb to fear in critical situations. Fear prevents people from making decisions, reduces reaction.
However, it is worth mentioning that fear is a natural part of any personality. This feeling is often a consequence of the instinct of self-preservation, which makes a person understand the impending dangers. In the complete absence of fear, the person does not act bravely but recklessly. There are many examples of people under the influence of alcohol, which dulls sensations, overcome the instinct for self-preservation and do crazy things. Those actions, which in another situation would be blocked by fear of consequences, are performed without hesitation in a state of intoxication. Therefore, it is possible to define courage as the person’s quality to act, adequately assessing and consciously overcoming the existing fear. Since this sensation is necessary for a person to exist, it is impossible to eliminate it completely. However, to adequately withstand the dangers, it is required to cope with it, silencing it with the help of the voice of reason, doing what is necessary despite the fear.