What Does It Mean To Be Courageous?

As children, the bravery of the superheroes on television mesmerized us. Wide-eyed, watched their capes flap as they soared through the sky and heard the whoops of the town as they saved the day. We vowed to follow their footsteps and honored the vows, as we got older. Everyday courage has allowed us to advance society, better lives, and leave our mark on the world, so it seems fitting that we take a moment to define courage, as courage is more than a superhero. An act of courage is an act that is risky, but pursued regardless, to fulfill noble intentions. Furthermore, a true act of courage will satisfy six criteria.

One criterion for courage is that it must involve risk. Assume that a Sea Bear, has abducted SpongeBob’s pet snail Gary! Unfortunately,

If someone aspires to achieve something, and takes a shortcut, the shortcut nullifies any degree of courage. For example, Harry is someone who wants gold, which is a normal and rational human desire. There are innumerable opportunities to make money, all of which require hard work and dedication. Let’s say that Harry wanted to earn money by working for a gold vault. Ever since he was a kid, his parents taught him the importance of virtues, and he was a righteous and honest worker. One day, he finds out about an imminent transfer of the gold to another vault, and decides to step out of his comfort zone. Late at night, Harry arrives with heavy artillery and attacks the train containing the gold–an act of considerable danger since the guards also had access to arms. Immediately, the guards began to fire, and Harry returned fire. In this situation, Harry was not courageous because he tried to cut the corners by attempting a robbery. Instead, if Harry took a longer and legal route to make money, like starting a company and dedicating time and effort to generating profit, he would be considered

Assume that James spies, with his advanced and futuristic binoculars, a beautiful and alluring pearl located at the foot of a cliff. He really wants it, so he decides to jump off the cliff, and then swim a couple of feet across the water that is brimming with jagged rocks, to pick up the pearl. He understands that he may die in the process, and jumps anyway. Since there is little to no hope that he can succeed, this act is suicidal and impractical, not courageous. However, if James jumps with a specialized paraglider, completed the necessary preparatory precautions and accomplished a similar feat in the past, there is a reasonable chance that he can succeed. When there is a reasonable chance at success, the act becomes