Courage

Courage, its a word most of us use sparingly to show respect for an act or a person. But it is also a word whose essence very few of us can comprehend. A few incidents that happened around me made me embark upon a search for the true meaning of this word. And wonder of wonders I ended up at the one place everyone visits these days to learn about everything from neo classical art to sex-ed, Google. What google dished out for me was:
Courage-The state of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear or vicissititudes with self possession, confidence and resolution.
Now i don't know about the rest of you readers but I completely lost the plot at the v-word.The best way a simple soul like me can define courage is by narrating an incident that has become part of forklore. A student of literature was asked to write a five thousand word essay on courage and his submission consisted of only one sentence, one sentence that summed up the students understanding of courage without saying anything about it. He wrote " This is courage ". In my mind this story always stands out because it doesnt talk about glorious deeds of saving people and countries or embarking on perilious adventures but a simple act of having faith in oneself and doing what one believes in. If you are thinking " what the hell is this guy talking about?" remember to count your blessings because you havent been put in a spot where you have to choose between a conventional, safe option that people advice you to take and an what you truely want to do. I have seen many people fall prey to this phenomenon. The guy living next to me in my dorm is a real genius, he could have done anything he wanted to do in life and currently he is sitting on an amazing job offer from one of the biggest investment banks in the world. But it is hard to miss the twinkle in his eye when he talks about his one true passion, aeroplanes. Then there is this other guy I know who has tried his hand at everything creative. He has acted in plays, written songs but his one true love has been painting. However by stroke of luck or misfortune ( I dont know which one) he landed up at the most premier management institute in Asia Pacific (or so they say!). He seems happy but I have caught him letting out a sigh everytime he looks at his sketches. I think he is thinking "what if?" Maybe it is not my job to judge but I sometimes think these guys would have been much happier had if they had the courage to flout convention, give up their potentially secure lives to pursue their true passions. But then I wouldnt be using the term courage here if the choices were so easy would I?

Courage, I believe is also the ability to face your arch nemesis, your ego and come out trumps. There is this certain person who would never ask a girl out no matter how much he wants to because he, or rather his ego is afraid of rejection and perhaps ridicule. "How silly is that!" you may say but that man's ego is so big that he is petrified of confronting it. Thats why I believe that the most courageous people are people who are able to make fun of themselves, their frailties and shortcomings without feeling the slightest wrench in their heart. It takes real courage for an obese guy to make fun of his girth or the wierd looking comedian, who is ubiquitious in most masala Hindi flicks making an utter fool of himself while the hero walks away with all the glory. I am sure these men have gone through phases when they questioned the reason for their misfortunes. But these guys have succeeded where many of us have failed. They have fought their egos, their complexes and have emerged victorious. Kudos to them for they truely deserve the title of the brave.

I think on this note I should stop the meanderings of my mind and wrap up but not before adding that you dont have to be a decorated war hero or an x-sports star to be truely courageous. Courage is displayed in the strength of ones will, in relatively mundane, not so dramatic choices that we make in our lives.