Courage is a Habit

Train your 'courage muscles' before they atrophy.

Courage is typically thought of as an innate personality trait, or a virtue that is demonstrated by a particular action taken at a particular time. While both are true, courage is also a habit that can be developed and ingrained through repeated actions.

The more you practice the habit of courage, the more courageous you become over time. Similarly, the more you practice the habit of cowardice, the more cowardly you will inevitably become, as it becomes your default mode of operation.

Despite ongoing economic, political, and cultural concerns, basic human survival has never been easier than it is now. Across the Western world, threats of war, famine, and pestilence no longer rank highly on the list of most people’s daily concerns.

In such a society, most people trend towards the path of least resistance in all aspects of life. This includes their diet, exercise, and lifestyle habits, career and finances, personal relationships, as well as how they approach social and cultural issues.

“Go along to get along” has merit and prudence in many situations. After all, few of us (beyond terminally online keyboard jockeys) would find it enjoyable to spend all day fighting and arguing with people.

However, there are times when you need to stand up for your beliefs and principles, or even for the truth itself. But if you haven’t trained your ‘courage muscles’ for an extended period, you may find that when the time comes to use them, they are flabby, weak, and barely functional. You no longer remember how to be courageous.

Instead, you allow yourself and others to be pushed around, physically or figuratively. Rather than saying what is right, you stay silent or even worse, repeat the lie. Instead of standing against the mob, you join it.

Implicit self-censorship is more common than censorship imposed by the state. Even in ‘free’ countries, the average man or woman is afraid to speak their mind unless they are reassured their opinion is ‘approved’.

In such a climate where people are afraid to speak courageously, why would we expect them to act courageously? After all, the consequences of action tend to be greater than the consequences of speech.

So, how do we address this collective cowardice?

The first step is to recognise that none of us are as courageous as we could be, and perhaps should be.

Next, you need to train your ‘courage muscles’ regularly. Instead of always taking the easy road and avoiding all potential conflict, you need to train yourself to speak up when you have something important to say, and to act when you know you should act.

Imaginary consequences tend to be far worse than real ones. Exceptions exist, but it wouldn’t be considered ‘courage’ if there was no risk whatsoever. Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s doing what must be done, despite the threat.

When we look at situations long-term rather than just focusing on the present, it also changes the risk calculation. When facing a challenging situation, consider not only the potential consequences of your action, but the potential consequences of your inaction – not just for yourself, but for your children and future generations. It could be that apathy or inaction now will lead to greater risks in the future.

None of us have the capacity or desire to fight every battle under the sun. But in our respective domains, we can all certainly be bolder and more courageous.

Courage and cowardice are more than personality traits. They are habits that become ingrained through repetition. So, I encourage you to train your courage muscles. Keep them in fighting shape, ready to be used when necessary.

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Zuby