Comments on: On Courage… http://masonicminute.com/blog/2008/02/20/on-courage/ Masonic Thinking and Working Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:39:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.2.1 By: AEdifico http://masonicminute.com/blog/2008/02/20/on-courage/#comment-10608 AEdifico Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:57:50 +0000 http://masonicminute.com/blog/2008/02/20/on-courage/#comment-10608 Having Courage and being a Hero are two different things. Some people commit 'heroic' acts without having a second to think about the consequences. Courage, on the other hand, manifests itself in the face of a rational internal assesment of the risks of that courageous act. It can be easy to be a hero...but courage, after thoughtful reflection on the dificulty of the act, is far more powerful. Having Courage and being a Hero are two different things. Some people commit ‘heroic’ acts without having a second to think about the consequences.

Courage, on the other hand, manifests itself in the face of a rational internal assesment of the risks of that courageous act. It can be easy to be a hero…but courage, after thoughtful reflection on the dificulty of the act, is far more powerful.

]]> By: Steve http://masonicminute.com/blog/2008/02/20/on-courage/#comment-10606 Steve Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:36:13 +0000 http://masonicminute.com/blog/2008/02/20/on-courage/#comment-10606 This may seem frivolous, but it isn't meant to be: In superhero comic books, it isn't the superhero who is the really heroic figure. It is the villain. In these books, the villain, no matter how often he is defeated, and in the face of a being who can't possibly be beaten, always tries again. The villain comes back and strives to win against all odds. The superhero is not a hero at all. If you can't fail, there is no heroism. If there is no chance that there is nothing there, there is no faith. I recommend Bro. Rudyard Kipling's Poem "If" for a discussion of this phenomenon. This may seem frivolous, but it isn’t meant to be: In superhero comic books, it isn’t the superhero who is the really heroic figure. It is the villain. In these books, the villain, no matter how often he is defeated, and in the face of a being who can’t possibly be beaten, always tries again. The villain comes back and strives to win against all odds.

The superhero is not a hero at all. If you can’t fail, there is no heroism. If there is no chance that there is nothing there, there is no faith. I recommend Bro. Rudyard Kipling’s Poem “If” for a discussion of this phenomenon.

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