What is Courage?

I still remember till this day my GP tutor told me that a student once attempted this question for his GP test or exam. The topic of discussion: What is Courage?

And his response was submitted on 3 pieces of papers stapled together:

The 1st page is blank except for the P.T.O (please turn over) at the bottom of the paper.

The 2nd page P.T.O
"
"
The 5th page P.T.O

On the 6th page, at the bottom of the page were these words......... "THIS IS COURAGE."

And with that he managed to pass the test!!!

Hmm... Maybe it's some sort of urban legend cos another friend of mine from another JC heard about this before..

I posed this same question to my students recently.. and what were their responses?

"Courage is daring to accomplish something in the face of danger." by S.Z.H

"Every man is born with selfishenss and the will to live, if we do not at all think about ourselves first, that is the first spark of courage." by J.G.

"Courage is all about being strong; it makes us grow, makes us the person we weren't in the past." by S.P

"Courage is to walk with your eyes closed, fearlessly and bravely knowing that you will not fail. Courage is to have confidence in yourself, to face your problems and not to run away from it. if you can face your fears without turning your back against them, then are you a man of true courage! Not only do you have to be brave but you have to believe in yourself. Never should we underestimate the true power of courage." by N. s/o V

But seriously, what is courage?

Is it about handing in a somewhat empty script during a test to prove that you are courageous, or must one sacrifice one's life like the 76 year old Israeli lecturer who died saving the lives of his students by blocking the doorway of his classroom and taking the gunman's bullets during the Virginia Tech Massacre, or is it the ability of the loved ones of the victims to move on in life after this senseless murder? Is courage the ability to survive against all odds like how the visually handicapped Dr Wong Meng Ee who, despite his difficulties and lack of initial support, did his Ph.D and won medals in International Sporting Meets?

Perhaps. Perhaps all.

After today's Dr. Wong's speech during Simpleville's Speech Day, it makes me certain that with courage and HEART ((Health, Enthusiasm, Assiduty, Resilience & Tenacity) I will be able to overcome my current obstacle. It also makes me certain that whatever problems I may be facing are insignificant compared to others. So who am I to complain?

As we take HEART in what we do, and with God's will, we'll all be able to ride through the wave and see life in a different light.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yesterday was the beginning of a new chapter in my life, I completed the deed and so it is finished. Yet, the path seems unclear. Will I stumble? Will I fall? Will people take joy in making insensitive remarks? Will I savour in my solitude? The future is unknown.

But with courage, I'll move on and take everything in my stride.

What is courage?

THIS IS COURAGE.