The concept of courage. What is courage

ethical virtue, characterizing the moral measure in overcoming fear; one of the four cardinal virtues of antiquity (along with moderation, wisdom and justice). According to Aristotle, death is overcoming the fear of death. The subject of M. is death, which is considered worthy and the attitude towards which characterizes moral qualities individual. M. represents conscious choice in a situation where the virtue of behavior can only be paid for by the risk of one’s own life. Such situations are most often associated with wars. Hence the idea of ​​M. as a male virtue. M. acts as the ability to endure suffering, primarily physical. There are motives and types of behavior that are very similar to M., but nevertheless in literally M. are not. According to Aristotle, there are five of them: a) civil courage, when overcoming the dangers of war is stimulated by fear of dishonor or possible punishment; b) experience; c) rage; d) arrogance; d) ignorance of the danger. A truly courageous man confronts danger in the name of wonderful goal and considers this method of behavior in itself virtuous; for him, M. has intrinsic value and is a sufficient motive for behavior. IN modern understanding M. is more often used in expanded content, as a synonym for moral firmness, such determination in upholding moral convictions that does not take into account possible losses (not only physical, but at the same time and even primarily with material, social, and psychological losses). M. primarily acts as civic position and the importance of male virtue is increasingly losing importance. This understanding of M. is greatly facilitated by modern theories nonviolence. For example, Gandhi said that the philosophy of nonviolence is many times superior to the philosophy of violence.

A week remains until February 23, Defender of the Fatherland Day. Speaking and remembering this topic, of course, in the first place there are associations with people who, as a duty to the Motherland, the Country, are not just words, they, with their work and actions, every day prove, first of all, to themselves and those around them, that they are the Motherland, the Country and the Fatherland ...

I think everything rests on such people... They are the basis, example, results for those who after them will continue to serve their Motherland, Country, Fatherland...

It is often seen that not every warrior dressed in military clothing is a real warrior. A real warrior does not have to wear military uniform or be a military man, even without her he remains himself and will be faithful to his duty to the Fatherland, Motherland, the country in which he was born, lives and works, and maybe is far from it.

If you study the stories of great warriors who left their mark with their exploits, then you can see in everyone not only good soldier, and also versatile developed person, who has his own rather serious convictions in relation to his Country, Motherland, Fatherland. Of course, everyone expresses them in their own way, but their degree of clarity is much higher ordinary person. The most important thing is that he clearly sees his future, the future of his country.

True courage is the difference between ordinary and great.

Well, that's a little about thinking, and now...

What distinguishes great people is strength personal qualities, which allow you to quickly make decisions and act, namely act on the basis of your clear, distinct, personal convictions.

Speaking about the personal qualities of a warrior, after a short search, you can dwell on such a quality as courage.

The concept of courage combines many noble qualities, such as courage, strength, not just physical strength, and also inner strength overcome pain, adversity, fear, death.

Aristotle wrote about courage that it is the only and most worthy way of behavior in battle... Courage generation after generation in different countries ah was considered the quality of a warrior or a person who, by the will of circumstances, despite the danger, sacrificing himself, fulfills his dear duty, which he is clearly aware of and understands.

True Courage is being cultivated!!!

A lot has been said and written about individual courage. The most interesting and very educational thing is that in every Strong society in every era, conditions were created, methods for cultivating this quality - COURAGE!

Yes, it was precisely the conditions for consciously nurturing courage in future men that were created. As a result, a mature man became a stronghold, a role model, a center of attention, an example.

As practice shows, courage cannot be developed in comfortable conditions. We need conditions in which a man will resist his weaknesses (both congenital and acquired), old habits and, despite, for example, early rising, cold dousing, special training, become stronger, stronger, more resilient every day, learn with overcome fear with ease and cultivate many other qualities that are included in the concept of courage.

In my opinion, you need to understand that all this training goes on, slightly behind the cultivation of such a feeling as love for one’s Motherland, Fatherland. A clear and clear understanding of what the country’s security is, what it needs to be created and maintained...

Real courage. How to find a method of education...?

Participation in the institute in preparation for colloquiums on pedagogy, with pleasure and interest, I copied from the “primary sources” the system and methods of raising children in different eras different countries, which at that time were among the great and powerful. There they were very serious and attentive to the little things in raising a COURAGEOUS Man, a defender of his Fatherland, Country, Motherland and its interests. Further, even after serving, having fulfilled his military duty, this person, having become a free citizen, understands that in any case he will defend the interests of his Country, Motherland...

True courage lasts a long time...

You can talk for hours about the fact that these countries were one of the strongest, but how was they raised there? We speak, study and apply little... and most importantly, create conditions for the cultivation of real courage?

Nowadays, working at school, I begin to see that all this has little to do with general concept future man in relation to upbringing courageous man. Even the student’s own vision differs from what he does every day, what he learns, and how he learns...

Well, a little about the upcoming holiday, since I started with this at the beginning. Having looked at what unites real warriors, soldiers - heroes who with honor, directly, openly and without any unnecessary things, now serve the Fatherland in the army, have served and will serve, these are personal qualities, the desire to act on the basis of their convictions, which are reduced to one of the properties human personality as courage. It is clear that all this is brought up over the years both by the person himself and by his environment: family, school, street.

For many, as practice shows, one of the most common options for upbringing is very... This is no longer a question. Which? This already doesn't have much great value, most importantly, constant and persistent training cultivates many qualities that relate to such a concept as COURAGE.

Do you think only sport can raise a courageous Man?

There are many examples of real courage today..

Yesterday was the 25th anniversary of the withdrawal of our troops from Afghanistan. In my opinion, the people who created this film, its heroes, are undoubtedly courageous people who, in addition to COURAGE, also HAVE a firm and clear understanding of their purpose in life, both civil and military. They are responsible for their history, for the Country, the Fatherland, which they served and still serve in every possible way.

So what should we do? How to make sure that, in addition to the theoretical volume of knowledge and beliefs, we also invest in a future person such a quality as courage, which is brought up not only from books?

Courage- one of the virtues that reflects moral strength in overcoming fear. Courage often refers to the ability to endure suffering, including physical pain.

In antiquity

In new times

During the transition to an industrial society (modern times), the importance of courage decreases, since “the industrial spirit triumphed over the military and aristocratic spirit” (Nietzsche). In modern ethics, courage becomes secondary or even acquires a negative connotation: for example, Hobbes considers the fear of death as useful force to establish peace. Spinoza places courage at the end of the list of “affects.” According to Kant, courage is the ability to “venture what duty dictates”; Kant notes that the fear of mockery requires more courage to overcome than battle. Among famous philosophers modern times, Nietzsche alone tried unsuccessfully to return courage to main role in ethics.

Now courage is often used simply as a synonym for universal moral firmness, and loses the meaning of male virtue (for example, the phrase “courageous woman” in many languages ​​- including Russian - does not contain a contradiction). This is facilitated by modern theories and practical experiments nonviolence when nonviolent struggle seen as more masculine than violent (Mahatma Gandhi).

In military affairs

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Excerpt describing Courage

The fog became so strong that, despite the fact that it was dawn, it was impossible to see ten steps in front of you. The bushes seemed like huge trees, the flat places looked like cliffs and slopes. Everywhere, from all sides, one could encounter an enemy invisible ten steps away. But the columns walked for a long time in the same fog, going down and up the mountains, passing gardens and fences, through new, incomprehensible terrain, never encountering the enemy. On the contrary, now in front, now behind, from all sides, the soldiers learned that our Russian columns were moving in the same direction. Every soldier felt good in his soul because he knew that in the same place where he was going, that is, unknown where, many, many more of ours were going.
“Look, the Kursk soldiers have passed,” they said in the ranks.
- Passion, my brother, that our troops have gathered! In the evening I looked at how the lights were laid out, there was no end in sight. Moscow - one word!
Although none of the column commanders approached the ranks or spoke to the soldiers (the column commanders, as we saw at the military council, were not in a good mood and were dissatisfied with the undertaking and therefore only carried out orders and did not care about amusing the soldiers), despite However, the soldiers walked cheerfully, as always, going into action, especially offensively. But, after walking for about an hour, everything was in thick fog, most the troops had to stop, and an unpleasant consciousness of the ongoing disorder and confusion swept through the ranks. How this consciousness is transmitted is very difficult to determine; but what is certain is that it is transmitted unusually faithfully and spreads quickly, imperceptibly and uncontrollably, like water through a ravine. If only Russian army If there was one thing, without allies, then perhaps a lot of time would have passed before this consciousness of disorder would have become a general confidence; but now, with special pleasure and naturalness attributing the cause of the unrest to the stupid Germans, everyone was convinced that there was a harmful confusion caused by the sausage makers.
- What did they become? Al blocked? Or have they already stumbled upon a Frenchman?
- No, I haven’t heard. Otherwise he would have started firing.
“They were in a hurry to speak out, but when they set out, they stood uselessly in the middle of the field—the damned Germans are confusing everything.” What stupid devils!
“Then I would have let them go ahead.” Otherwise, they're probably huddling behind us. So now stand there without eating.
- So, will it be there soon? The cavalry, they say, blocked the road,” the officer said.
“Oh, the damned Germans, they don’t know their land,” said another.
-What division are you in? - the adjutant shouted as he drove up.
- Eighteenth.
- So why are you here? You should have been ahead a long time ago, now you won’t make it until evening.
- Those orders are stupid; “They don’t know what they’re doing,” the officer said and drove away.
Then a general drove by and shouted something angrily, not in Russian.
“Tafa lafa, you can’t understand what he’s muttering,” said the soldier, mimicking the departed general. - I would shoot them, scoundrels!
“We were told to be there at nine o’clock, but we weren’t even halfway through.” These are the orders! - repeated from different sides.
And the feeling of energy with which the troops went into action began to turn into annoyance and anger at the stupid orders and at the Germans.

Consider such a well-known concept as “courage.” This is an image that dates back to the dawn of time. It developed, filling itself with new facets. There were thinkers who tried to “overthrow” and discredit him. But nothing came of it. Let's figure it out.

The meaning of the word "courage"

It is clear that now we are investing in the meaning that we inherited. are not created independently, they are inscribed in any culture as its main indicators. Lexical meaning The words “courage” are very clear. This is the ability to withstand threats that affect the fundamentals of life, including death. Only the whole depth this concept this definition does not convey. To understand, let's look at the “historical path” of the word “courage.” This will allow us to better understand what was originally invested in it, and what is understood now.

How did ancient philosophers define “courage”?

Most often they are filled with meanings accepted in the society in which they operate. IN ancient world They believed that courage is heroism demonstrated in battle. Even simpler is the ability not to be afraid of death, which can result from a fight. It turns out that only representatives of the stronger sex, and those holding weapons in their hands, could have courage. Isn't it very different from what we think now? Thomas Aquinas expanded the concept. He believed that this was conducive to fighting for good. He recognized courage as a virtue, although wisdom took precedence over it in his system.

Middle Ages

In knightly times, it was argued that courage was a military virtue. Only an armed man could manifest it, since he had to overcome himself when engaging in battle with the enemy. At the same time, the common people, who daily overcame hunger, bad weather, and other dangers, were denied courage. It was attributed only to the rich and “noble”, which from our point of view is very strange.

Bourgeois philosophy

It is clear that this concept was filled with heroic meaning. Philosophers tried to discredit him by arguing that courage was some kind of secondary virtue. They tried to instill in people that the fear of death is a productive force that leads to the establishment of peace. I. Kant interpreted courage as the ability to do what should be done. At the same time, the concept itself expanded. It was recognized that courage is more often needed in everyday life to overcome psychological barriers and combat unfavorable circumstances. For example, it must be expressed by a person who is being bullied or mocked. Nietzsche tried to return the original meaning to the concept, but his attempts were unsuccessful.

Modern look

Having rethought and transformed various interpretations, society now agrees that courage is the strength of spirit demonstrated by a person of any class or gender in overcoming various kinds dangers. It is equally important both in battle or confrontation and in everyday life.

A person who is afraid shows the highest courage when he goes to the podium. A decision maker is no less strong-willed when he has to admit own mistakes. A woman who fears childbirth courageously strives for procreation. And so on. There are many examples of the manifestation of ethical standards in life. Communist philosophy forced us to recognize that courage is a quality of every person, and not of a certain “caste”. There it was postulated that ethical standards apply equally to the entire society, without regard to classes or other types of population groups. Thus, courage is a quality that allows you to maintain balance, courage and wisdom under any circumstances, to make and carry out a balanced and thoughtful decision, regardless of the risks.

Courage- 1) a character trait that provides the ability to face dangers, misfortunes, life difficulties without (excessive) fear and loss of self-control; courage, fearlessness, bravery; 2) presence of mind in times of danger or trouble; 3) Christian, revealed in the ability, readiness and determination of the believer to meet sorrows, troubles, dangers, difficulties, without losing fortitude, with hope in.

Courage is steadfastness in truth. Courage is the action of the Spirit of God in a person, giving a person the strength to resist temptations, create the truth and defend it. Courage is love for God and neighbor, love so strong that it overshadows the fear of danger and even death.

Christian courage is based on hope and trust in God, love for God and neighbors, complete obedience and unshakable loyalty to the Lord God.

Christian courage is fundamentally different from fanaticism, recklessness, stubbornness, insensitivity and feigned indifference. The criterion for this difference is the source of courage (God and love) and the goal - truth.

In the face of Sennacherib's brutal hordes, Hezekiah calmly carried out his military preparations and provided moral support to his men. “And he said: be strong and courageous, do not fear or be afraid of the king of Assyria and all the multitude that is with him... the arm of the flesh is with him, and the Lord our God is with us, to help us and fight in our battles. And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah" ().

Let's compare: “When the doors of the house... were locked for fear of the Jews” () And “Seeing the courage of Peter and John...” (). The same disciples met the same Jews for a short time. Where did this new courage come from? The answer reads: "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit."

Is all courage consistent with virtue?

Since ancient times, courage, as a character trait, has been sung by writers, poets, and chroniclers. Courageous warriors, travelers, sailors, discoverers, and fighters for truth and justice were often given sincere admiration. In this understanding, courage was usually associated with bravery, bravery, daring, and even with the readiness to sacrifice for the sake of a high goal.

However, it is not always that what is defined as courage is truly worthy of admiration. We can say that courage is different from courage.

Quite often, bravado and reckless courage are mistaken for courage. Let us assume that history knows examples of bravado by military leaders, which resulted in the senseless death of soldiers. IN modern world Examples of feigned “courage” include, say, riding on the roofs of elevators and electric trains, reckless driving with imaginable and inconceivable violations of the rules traffic, photographing on the edges of skyscraper roofs, on the booms of high-rise cranes, etc. In addition to the fact that people who demonstrate their “courage” in this way expose their own life, they push others to do it.

In the Christian consciousness, courage, as a virtue, is always comparable with good motives, intentions and goals, with the desire to please God, with trust in Divine Providence. Examples of Christian courage were shown by numerous Christian confessors, martyrs, defenders of the faith, persecuted righteous people and, in general, all the saints.

The Trinity is winged
archimandrite

I urge you to take heart
(
)

The Apostle Paul, among other prisoners, sailed to Italy. Suddenly a strong storm arose and hit the ship... The sky darkened, the wind turned into a hurricane, the waves furiously beat against the side of the ship, throwing it like a piece of wood. A leak opened in the ship... For fourteen days, without seeing either the sun or the stars, they rushed about, surrendering to the waves. Everyone expected death every minute; they did not eat or drink. There were 276 souls on the ship.

Only one man - the holy Apostle Paul - was completely calm: he firmly believed in God, who promised to save him and those who sailed with him. Courageously raising his voice, the Apostle said: “Men and brethren, I urge you to take heart, because not a single soul among you will perish... This is what the Angel told me this night...” Indeed, as the day came, everyone saw a bay with a sloping shore. It was the island of Melite. No one died - everyone was saved.

My friends, you need to be courageous and decisive. Nothing glorious can be done without courage. It's easy to do only bad things. Wasn’t it courage that crowned the holy martyrs? eternal glory? And the hermits, ascetics, stylites?..

All great scientists achieved discoveries through perseverance and courage. "How did you discover the law universal gravity? - Newton was once asked. “With persistence, constantly thinking about him,” he answered. And Archimedes and other scientists?..

It takes courage to work hard, to study, to strive, to get up early for prayer (for a fraternal prayer service), to endure fasts and long services with love, to find ways of reconciliation with an offended friend... Especially when salvation is so difficult to come by, what kind of courage is needed to reach the end? move everything!..

Courage is also needed to endure suffering without complaint. We have not lived long, but suffering has already touched us with its fiery wing. After all, suffering, under different types(for example, illness, grief, need, anxiety, humiliation) occupy a huge place in our lives. “You will be in a world of sorrow” (), said the Lord. “He who endures to the end will be saved” (). And how courageous ordinary people know how to endure suffering!

In 1871 there was a war. Sister Agrippina had both legs wounded. She was only 20 years old. “Sister, you need to amputate your leg,” the professor told her. “Do it,” she answered quietly. “My sister, you need to amputate the other leg too.” - “If it is God’s will, doctor, do it.” After the operation, having come to her senses, she quietly prayed: “Lord, do not let me become proud of my suffering.” Soon she quietly faded away forever.

...The hospital is full of wounded. There were many more operations to be performed. The anesthesia is running out. The small and weak-looking soldier had his arm crushed. “Doctor, you’ll give me something to put me to sleep, won’t you?”.. - “Oh God, we’re running out of anesthesia, there are some very weak brothers...” - “Doctor, give me So, I’ll bear it, and make it easier for them.” And he endured the terrible operation without uttering a single groan...

It also takes courage to tell the truth. Telling the truth is the basis of all virtues. This is the dignity of every person, a Christian. Honesty and truthfulness are the adornment of a believer. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they shall be satisfied” (). Look at the man loving the truth: he is open, clear, noble; kind, clean eyes. He inspires confidence... And look at the other: he is cunning, hypocritical, his behavior is imprinted with low people-pleasing... He cannot look you straight in the eyes...

And what courage is needed to resist temptations! To behave and speak in the most difficult situations as befits a Christian who loves his Lord!

It was a cold winter. A 3rd grade seminary student found himself among his unbelieving comrades. They dragged him to a restaurant on the banks of the Volga. They sat me down... “Drink with us, my friend, you’ve signed up to be a priest... You don’t want to - you’re a relic, so retarded, selfish...” At that moment, a heartbreaking scream was suddenly heard from the street... The seminarian jumped up and instantly disappeared behind the door... Soon, barely catching his breath, he crawled out of ice water... Blood flowed down his face: a sharp ice floe hit him on the head... In his arms he held a wet, half-frozen three-year-old girl... Courage!

What does it take to have courage? The root of courage is a sincere desire to do good to people. And in this we need to strengthen our will.

If you have set yourself high goal- be faithful to the Lord - strive to be courageous. To do this, you need to love God and people, strengthen your will in goodness and ask for help from God - and you will be courageous.

The Kingdom of Heaven is given to people who are courageous, energetic, persistent, and devoted to the end to the Lord. The Savior says: “The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it away” ().

Shepherd kind soul He gives his own for the sheep. Only with this wonderful quality - courage - will you be able to fulfill your Christian duty. If you know how to work well, speak the truth calmly, find the strength to endure burning suffering, you will be a winner in any fiery temptations and with your courage and self-sacrifice you will give perfect example You will arouse legitimate admiration and respect among your fellow believers and even among dissenters.

Courage is strength...



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