Upholding Honor

Courage is a term that has numerous applications. We are going to examine five of the most obvious ones. The first would be that of a soldiers and police. They have the purest form of courage. They fight to uphold law and keep people safe. Someone who does this well is considered honorable and those who back away can easily be considered cowardly.  It is the purest form because it is noble and the motive is virtuous. There are those in these positions who are just doing what they are told and to that degree they might be considered inferior. Those who are virtuous because of compulsion dilute it. Bravery should occur because a person is doing what is right not just because he is obeying orders.   

Experience can also cause a person to appear brave. If they have gone through something dangerous numerous times, the fear is less. A person who is accustomed to heights isn't showing as much bravery climbing a ladder as someone who is afraid of heights. We still look at the person who works heights as a brave person. It can be this way in battle also. A person who has made war his occupation will have an easier time charging into battle than a short timer. It will take more courage for the enlisted man to charge although they will both appear brave. It was Aristotle’s opinion that professionals will run sooner because they recognize when they are beaten and they can fight another day. Someone defending his honor and country will be more apt to fight to the death.  The professional fights because he is superior but won’t give his life to prove it.

Sometimes anger is considered courage. Those who have been hurt, fight like a wild animal. An person who wants paybacks can be confused with a brave person because they both charge into battle with passion. But passion is only an aid for a truly brave person while it is the entire motive for a pissed off person. There are other passions that might cause a person to do daring things. Those who are driven by passion will rush in without foreseeing the perils. Hunger and lust are a couple passions that will cause someone to do daring things. This seems to be a kind of courage that comes more natural and isn't as deliberate. So men who fight because they are angry or because they will get pleasure to exact revenge are more quarrelsome than brave. Their courage depends upon the intensity of the emotion rather than upholding what is honorable.