Courage, like all human qualities, is anabstract thing; but it is this quality in manthat has enabled him to advance against allnatural obstacles through the centuries. Endowed with intelligence and manualskills, man??™s courage, even in the early daysof his existence, enabled him to accept thechallenges of nature. He not only lived in themidst of wild animals but also began todomesticate many of them for his ownadvantage.
Soon, even the most ferociousand largest of animals learnt to respect hiscourage. They began to avoid him as far asthey could. Indeed, without courage man would neverbe able to advance from the primitive stage. He would never try to reach the skies orexplore the depths of the oceans; butimpelled by courage, he left his immediateconfines to defy nature, and soon made theworld more hospitable and secure forhimself. It is this irrepressible energy ofman, aided by his courage, that hascontributed to the comfort and happinessthat people everywhere enjoy today.
Courage is therefore indispensable toalmost all human activities. Men needcourage to face their enemies and theuncertainties of life. They need courage tooperate machinery, to fly aeroplanes, toconstruct high buildings.
In fact, they needcourage to meet all the dangers thatconstantly threaten them in all theirpursuits. Even to accept the responsibilitiesof a family requires extreme courage. Human courage and valor have beendisplayed most strikingly in all the battlesthat have been fought in the history ofmankind. Men have fought against menwith deadly weapons to protect themselves, their countries, families and home. For theprotection and comfort of their families, men have also faced other dangers.
Theyhave defied dangerous currents in rivers tobring food for their families by boats andrafts. They have also defied storm andbattled the waves of the oceans to extractfood from them. Courage, however, does not assert itselfalways. The instinct of self-preservationusually impels men to seek safety in fight orconcealment whenever there is a threat topersonal security. It is in moments ofdesperation that courage asserts itself andenables one to meet all threats; and it is insuch moments that men also discover theirown physical strength, and otheradvantages of resistance. For instance, aman who is attacked by an animal will fightfiercely in an effort to avert tragedy tohimself, and in the process discover hisown strength and the advantages of usingcertain weapons to overpower hisadversary. Feelings of loyalty and devotion too haveoften aroused the courage of men. Aperson who is devoted to his family fightstooth and nail to protect his family fromdestruction or extinction, whatever theconsequences to himself.
Similarly, a loyalservant may give his life for the protectionof his master. Thus, courage is the most important qualityin man. He needs it for his ownadvancement and to meet all the challengesof his existence.
