Courage is generally defined as the ability to face danger without fear.
I'm not entirely sure about that, myself. Certainly, it seems a common motif to be courageous in facing danger while still being utterly terrified. Quite often, we see great heroes before their finest hour, intimating that they had never been so terrified in their lives as in that moment before they act. This seems to make them more courageous than one might otherwise perceive, knowing that they do what they do despite fear that would paralyse lesser mortals.
I've always considered courage to be the ability to move past one's fear to accomplish things that they otherwise would never do, rather than mere fearlessness.
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Date: 2007-01-23 02:55 am (UTC)I'm not entirely sure about that, myself. Certainly, it seems a common motif to be courageous in facing danger while still being utterly terrified. Quite often, we see great heroes before their finest hour, intimating that they had never been so terrified in their lives as in that moment before they act. This seems to make them more courageous than one might otherwise perceive, knowing that they do what they do despite fear that would paralyse lesser mortals.
I've always considered courage to be the ability to move past one's fear to accomplish things that they otherwise would never do, rather than mere fearlessness.