Transparency Item: The Perspectives section of the Graphic is comprised of articles based on opinion. This is the opinion and perspective of the writer.
On the VIA (Values in Action) Character Strengths and Virtues Test, one of the listed virtues is courage. I have taken this test in a few psychology courses, and while the ranking differs slightly every time, courage has always fallen low on the list for me.
This was not surprising or upsetting, since I have never considered myself a brave or courageous person. When I think of this quality, I think of people who climb mountains, speak to crowds or sacrifice themselves for who they love and what they believe in.
While I have a few good qualities, at least according to the VIA, courage is apparently not one of them. I expressed this to a relative who argued I did not need to be the kind of person who jumps to do impressive things, and generally I agree.
Certain situations call for people who will run into the line of fire, but there are other situations which call for lengthy consideration and patience. It would be nice if I knew I could face anything, but most of the time I am grateful to be a more cautious person.
However, this particular conversation did challenge me to reconsider some of my ideas about what courage is and how it is culturally defined.
It takes courage for a person to act in the moment. It also takes courage for a person to make it through the enduring, and sometimes permanent, challenges that come naturally throughout life.
In that sense, almost everybody expresses this characteristic in one way or another. Whether it is traditional or not, I think it would be unfair to say that bravery can only be reflected in the stereotypical fashion which the norm promotes.
I have several friends who do not fit the traditional mold of “brave people,” but they have consistently endured hardship with grace and determination. Yet, in my immediate image of what courage looks like, they do not appear.
My friends represent strength not for any external purposes, but because it is inherent to who they are. Therefore, I think a slight reframing of courage would allow for its many varieties to be recognized.
There are also small ways in which a person can challenge themselves or face problems.
In that conversation with my relative, they pointed out that perhaps I have demonstrated courage at different points in my life. They listed my interest in theater, tragic life events and the years I had a brace for scoliosis, which was painful, limiting and lasted years.
Everything they said was true, but I brushed off their examples as unimpressive. I said that I got through various challenges because I had to, not because I was a strong or brave person.
I argued that everybody has to grieve at some point, and everybody has problems. Lots of people have scoliosis and lots of shy people do public speaking now and then.
In fairness, most of what I said was also true. Everybody has to face one or more of these issues, some of them big and others small, but I have begun to realize that this does not diminish the impact of courage on people’s actions, including my own.
I am not interested in rejecting the typical definition of courage, but it would be beneficial to add a “yes, and…” Yes, courage that looks grand and impressive is good, and it should be celebrated.
And, courage looks different for different people. The small and steadfast ways humanity has endured for millions of life cycles, horrible and beautiful all at once, deserve as much celebration as anything.
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Contact Alyssa Johnson via email: alyssa.johnson@pepperdine.edu
