The underlying intent of the Terry Lectures conveyed at Yale University and compiled as “The Courage to Be,” gives the impression of offering a scientific and philosophical edge to theology. As such, Paul Tillich focused on the idea and meaning of the term “courage” as a convergence point of sociology, philosophy, and theology. Tillich’s preliminary aim focuses on a discussion of the conception of courage from a historical context. This discussion bestows diverse defining characteristics used to explain the property [essence?] of courage. Notwithstanding, Tillich judges many of these attempts at definition incoherent, inconsistent, and/or contradictory. For Tillich, “Courage is an ethical reality, but is rooted in the whole breadth of human existence and ultimately in the structure of being itself “(p. 1). Hence, courage is the ability to strive towards an affirmation and preservation that is what makes the self itself. Perhaps the most striking part of Tillich’s presentation is his interesting analysis of the ontology of anxiety. Tillich explores an extremely contemporary subject from a beautifully constructed existential viewpoint. This part of the book alone is enough to encourage even the most ardent critic to take caution when plundering the groundwork of existentialism. …show more content…
Of interest is the understanding of the courage to be in a “Democratic Conformism” model. Here Tillich expresses that the idea of being “productive” is an essential theme within a democratic nee Capitalistic society. In this “type” of a system (akin to the United States), “[T]he productive process in which one is a participant naturally includes risks, failures, catastrophes”. However, this should not undermine the courage to be. Further, the emphasis should be placed on the productive acts itself, opposed to just “production,” where being is present. (p.
A characters courage is not measured by how an action will be accepted by others, but by how their actions stay true to themselves even in the face of a pressured surrounding. Colin McDougall’s The Firing Squad a story about a young soldiers attempt at redemption and George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant an essay about Orwell’s days in a British colony where he was called to handle the situation with an aggressive elephant are two pieces of literature that demonstrate the effects of courage. Courage takes many forms and in these two great pieces of literature it can be measured by looking at the characters and how they use courage and lack of courage as a driving factor in different ways throughout their story’s.
Courage is not simply about how well you deal with fear, how many noble deeds you accomplish, or how you overcome life threatening situations. Courage is the practice of determination and perseverance. Something like, an unwillingness to abandon a dream even when the pressures of society weigh down on your shoulders; society will make you feel tired, humiliated, broken, and confused. Actually, it can be effortlessly said that daily courage is more significant than bouts of great deeds. Since everybody undergoes demanding circumstances on a daily basis, and most of us will not be called to perform a great deed, courage comes from those daily struggles and successes. However, Kate Bornstein is one person who has been able to transform her everyday life into a brilliant deed of courage. She threw herself into an unknown abyss to discover truth that many others would never dare tread. Ingeniously combining criticism of socially defined boundaries, an intense sense of language, and a candid autobiography, Bornstein is able to change cultural attitudes about gender, insisting that it is a social construct rather than a regular occurrence, through here courageous writing.
Mark Twain best described courage when he said that, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear” (Twain). Both in The One Who Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey and Watership Down by Richard Adams, the authors deal with the topic of courage and each share a similar view on it as this quote. Indeed, both authors suggest that courage is not accumulated simply by acts of heroism, but rather by overcoming fears and speaking one’s mind as well. These books are very similar in the way that bravery is displayed through the characters in an uncommon way. Firstly, an example of bravery
Bates, Milton J. “Tim O’Brien’s Myth of Courage.” Modern Fiction Studies 33.2 (summer 1987): 263-79
The vast majority of heroes in novels display courage frequently, making it a characteristic praised by many. Once a character demonstrates their cowardly nature, he becomes looked down upon. Those unlucky enough can be named weak, wimpy, chicken, and so forth; however many do not understand that both courage and timidness are intertwined. In the novel The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, the author indicates that courage can be driven by both fear and cowardice.
According to Four Types of Courage (Cox,2006), courage are a different ways to have bravery. Some people believe that heroes are very courageous. Other believe that heroes are real. Moreover, she classifies a type of courage in to four types which are physical, social, moral, and creative. Each one has explained to give us how this types courage. I would like to mention about two ideas which are ask to name a courageous person, and lost usefulness.
Courage is something that is not integrally human, particularly in times of war where one’s existence is in peril. During the time of war, this is conveyed when one’s integrity is being tested the most: there are few who desire to conserve this integrity and their humanity through selfless acts in the time that generosity is a fantasy. When most individuals are occupied of thoughts of their own self preservation, selflessness preserves and fortify one’s integrity and humanity when one risks their life for others. In the novel The Cellist of Sarajevo, Steven Galloway emphasized the moral crisis that people faced when they were challenged with their own mortality and the hardship of those worse off. He
courage as manifested in ways others act; and (4) respect for individuality of the human
"EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 & 2." EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 2. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.
Paul Tillich. “What Faith Is”. The Human Experience: Who Am I?. 8th ed. Winthrop University: Rock Hill SC, 2012. 269-273. Print.
The relationship between fear, shame, and courage in the work The Things They Carried is exemplified with and through the causal relationships The fear of shame leads to courage. The characters’ actions are being controlled by these human emotions. Not just in influencing decisions, but in showing how characters live and feel. Fear and courage are intertwined in the way that the philosophy of yin and yang are as fear leads to showing courage.
“Courage - a perfect sensibility of the measure of danger, and a mental willingness to endure it.” Courageous people understand the danger that they face when they act how they do. That is what courage is all about. Many historical events occur due to people having the courage to do what they think is right, or because of those who use their courage to do what they want. Having the courage to stand alone in one’s beliefs may be one of the hardest thing a person can do.
Ross, Kelly L. "Existentialism." The Proceedings of the Friesian School, Fourth Series. Kelly L. Ross, Ph.D., 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
about what is feared and what is not to be feared is what I'm calling courage."
Saul Bellow’s novel Seize the Day has personal relevance to me, because, in some ways, the story of Tommy Wilhelm is the story of my father. They both face a world that they neither belong in nor understand. They both have violent tantrums that reveal the emotional maturity of a child. They both victimize themselves by complaining about the supposed injustices that the world has committed against them. Wilhelm and I both experience an existential crisis partly due to our fathers, although we are in two very different stages in life. Having an existential crisis led many philosophers in the twentieth century to develop a philosophy known as existentialism. The novel embodies existentialism in its exploration of themes such as anxiety, absurdity,