V

Sins and Virtues: Courage

In the essay Sins and Virtues, I organize a collection of sins and virtues upon a numerological grid with a spine of contrast between the extreme of Sins and the between moderation of Virtues:

This essay will focus on the Virtue of Courage, which, through a process of elimination, did not make it onto the aforementioned chart. Keep in mind though, that these essays are not meant to be the last word on virtues, I leave that up to the philosophers among us who have already written volumes and volumes of wisdom concerning these ideas. Instead, these essays are only meant to show how these concepts fit, within the parameters of the theoretical model of existence being put forth everywhere on this site. If the other ideas put forth elsewhere on this site have not already been read and understood, they probably should be, before reading any of these Virtue essays.

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Courage

In the table above, I used the word Fortitude in the number 4 position because it is a comon name for an important virtue. If I hadn't been trying to utilize existing virtues, I might have substituted the word Courage instead. To me, Courage is also a virtue that we find at the number 4 position of our number line form. In some ways Fortitude and Courage are somewhat synonymous. But if asked what courage really is, a bit of thought is required. The following is my best shot at defining the concept of courage.

Basically, the way I see it, what makes defining courage tricky is the way so many people define courage by way of results, rather than character, while at the same time applying those opinions to someone's character, rather than the results. The question is, is that the proper way to define courage? Or should courage be defined only by character, and not results?

To procede, let's ask for a definition of courage. What does one have to do to be considered courageous? What is the minimum requirement for courage?

Short answer:
Facing threat with risk.

Medium answer:
Facing threat or danger with heightened risk via reduced fear.

Long answer:
An encounter with a threat or adversity, that is met with elevated risk, and through managed fear, produces a result that is considered to be beneficial to self or others, or at the very least an admirable effort.

Longer answer:
Courage is considered noble when someone voluntarily faces adversity, takes risks and produces results that are beneficial, or at least makes a valiant effort. This is defining courage by character.

But someone can be considered courageous without voluntarily facing adversity. If someone happens to find themselves in a situation, and does something that is considered risky, that leads to a beneficial outcome, they will be considered a courageous hero for facing adversity and taking a risk, even though they might never have known there was any adversity, or that what they were doing was risky, or that it would benefit others. This is defining courage by results.

Thus we have two forms of courage, one defined as noble courage by virtue of up front character, and the other defined as serendipitous courage, by virtue of perceived results. What they have in common is the definition above. The key component of which is the element of heightened risk. Other people face adversity and put forth effort that produces results that are beneficial to self or others... but often with very little risk at all to themselves or others. What makes people consider something courageous, is when the actions taken to produce the results involve a high degree of risk. Again, it doesn't matter if this risk is taken on voluntarily or not, it will be considered courageous either way, by character or by results.

Some however might want to reserve their definition of TRUE Courage for those who volunteer to make themselves available to be put at risk for the sake of obtaining a beneficial result for others. If we judge courage soley on results, any idiot can be considered courageious by accident and/or dumb luck. However, if we judge courage on character, we will likely want to see more than accidental dumb luck. Thus, some consider the willingness to face adversity not yet known to exist, as evidence of a heightened degree of courage, due to the heightened level of risk beyond that of someone who serendipitously takes a single risk, either while oblivious that they are doing so, or by mere necessity crossing their path. Some say that those who volunteer or enlist before hand, to be available for facing any unknown threat, with unknown levels of risk, for an unspecified number of times, are the truly courageous among us - people like... firefighters, police and soldiers in battle. But certainly any ordinary entity of life can step up to a threat with risk and be considered courageous, if their effort is at least admirable, whether it produces a beneficial result or not... and whether the subject survives to tell the story or not.

In facing a heightened risk, there is an implication that there is either a conscious suppression of fear, or an unconscious disregard for fear, i.e. being unaware or oblivious. This is how fear becomes the opposite of courage, and why so many inadequately define courage as the absence of fear. Thus in this, we find yet another tricky aspect of courage that many fail to differentiate. Some consciously suppress fear to face threat with risk. Others unconsciously suppress fear. And others are simply oblivious. Which of these is the best example of courage? Let's review the options: Because of their willingness to concsiously volunteer for risk, the first one might be more characteristic of the category of courage by character. Because of the serendipitous nature of the involuntary encounter with risk, the last one might be more characteristic of the category of courage by results. Thus, it is the middle one that makes our definitions of courage the most difficult to nail down. With the middle example, both the volunteer and the non-volunteer are equally likely to face threat with risk by way of unconscious suppression of fear, making them equally likely to rush into a threat full of risk without any conscious regard for fear.... thus making those we might consider more worthy of the title courageous by virtue of their willingness to volunteer up front, on equal ground to those we might consider less worthy by virtue of a single serendipitous presence at a particular moment. Some regard this disregard for fear as confidence. Some regard it as foolishness. When things go well, we look back with 20/20 hindsight and see confidence. When things go bad, we look back with 20/20 hindsight and see foolishness.

Courage has the potential to overtake anyone at any time. And we should always consider any valiant effort to face threat with risk as courage. But for examples within any society that represent Paragons of Courage, we should look to those who volunteer up front and forever to be called upon to face threat with risk, and... consistently demonstrate their ability to do so over and over again. This, in fact, is why the serendipitous hero often views their single act of courage as insignificant, compared to those who do the same or similar things as they just did, over and over again as a career choice. They are reluctant to be held up as a paragon of courage, because of how unique their single act of courage was to their usual character, which in many cases has historically not been know to volunteer for such risk all that much in the past. Thus, even they look to those who volunteer on a regular basis as the TRUE Paragons of Courage. It's courage either way. And we can learn from either subject. But one seems more likely to truly know what we seek better than any other.

So there's the ability to face threat with risk, and a there's the willingness to face threat with risk. The ability might lay dormant in all of us, and in occasional moments be brought to the fore in extreme enough ways as to catch the attention of others and be called acts of courage. But it remains those who show a willingness to muster such effort whenever called upon, especially for threats that are not exclusively their own personal concern, who show the most noble and virtuous form of Courage.

In relating this definition to the theoretical model of existence being put forth everywhere on this site, Courage is a product of the Visceral, 4/6 type. We see it mostly in the number 4, accurately illustrated in many decks as The Emperor. The number 4 represents the mass or core of substance. When passing through the theoretical model of existence being put forth everywhere on this site, the substance of the mass is where we encounter powerful resistance (see The Cosmic Engine and A Significant Signature of Nature elsewhere on this site). Making it through the core requires effort... a valiant effort. Not every passage through a core involves high degrees of risk, but those that do require that fire be fought with fire, by suppressing fear and replacing it with the courage to push on through despite all risk. This trial by fire is a test of strength that we don't all pass. Those with courage do.

The firefighter rushing into a burning building to save other people is a good metaphor the the more abstract idea being put forth of penetrating the numerologically labeled "4/5/6 core" or substance of our theoretical model of existence. A solider rushing into battle is another good example of penetrating the mass or core of substance that defines any entity. Inasmuch as an event in time becomes an entity, the idea of "no way out but through it" becomes a good aphorism to describe the nature of courage, relative to the idea of penetrating a core of substance.

If carried further along our number line of virtues shown above, the number 5 is where we actually engage the enemy, or threat, while the virtue of Tenacity - found under the number 6 - becomes the equidistant equivalent of Courage by being in essence "Courage Sustained." Courage alone will get us into a fight, but Tenacity is what gets us through it. The 4/5/6 cluster of our theoretical model of existence is where this all happens. The number 4 is where we enter the fray, and the number 6 is where we (hopefully) exit. Thus, as is agreed by many tarot enthusiasts, the number 7 marks our crowning moment of victory and success! Followed by the warm glow of the orgamic 8! And the dominion of the number 9.