There
are two kinds of courage: pretentious courage and humble courage.
Showy courage is like that seen in the movie Braveheart.
We see well-built young men covered in grit and grime fiercely
wielding swords. Ironically, often this is not the most challenging
form of courage. Humble acts of peace also need courage. They
require low-profile courage. As is so often the case, when I think on
these things I think of my father. He was a man who felt his
limitations – a great attribute. He had the quiet but resolute
courage to fulfill his mission—to humbly do what he perceived as
God's will and mission for him despite his limitations. That's the
kind of courage that I love. It's the kind of courage that frankly,
when I see it, can bring me to tears.
The
other day Kathy and I went to visit a woman in a nursing home.
Hidden away in its corridors, she showed quiet courage. I've seen
similar low-profile courage at work when people in humble positions
daily accomplish remarkable feats.
Why
is it as a nation do we tend to associate courage with military
action rather than peaceful humanitarian service? Why is courage so
often self-promoting and self-centered? I think of the courage of my
mother who had the humble courage of creativity. Creativity requires
courage (actually much more of it) than sanctioned vandalism or dull
complacency.
I
am almost persuaded that quiet low-profile courage is the genuine
article and that bravado courage worn on the sleeve is inherently
suspect.
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