Samuel James asked that important question and gave some thought-provoking answers in a recent article Character and Courage. James begins by pointing out the courage of main characters in Stephen Spielberg movies, including his most recent “Bridge of Spies” that gave an idea for the article.
This self-sacrificing courage is very different from what we call courage today as he explains.
This courage by default has created a new definition for being courageous which James illustrates using a popular Katy Perry song roar
Now I’m floating like a butterfly
Stinging like a bee I earned my stripes
I went from zero, to my own hero
In other words courage in our culture is “being yourself.” While being an individual does take self-confidence Samuel James is right to wonder if that’s what courage is really all about.
The point James makes very well in his article is this. We have forgotten what courage is.
Courage isn’t demanding your rights
standing up for something that you think you deserve
Or being a unique individual
Again courage is involved in all of those things. But true courage is about standing up and giving themselves over for defense of the marginalized, and the Gospel of Christ.
Articles Cited: http://samueldjames.net/2015/10/28/character-and-courage/