COURAGE

Courage is the ability to carry out tasks successfully in a situation. Courage can also be seen as the ability to do something right or good without fear or favour. It is the firmness of mind and moral backbone to finish a task in the face of oppositions, obstacles and challenges. Courage, fear and timidity do not go together, because a courageous person is neither afraid nor timid to speak the truth no matter whose ox is gored. A courageous man will bother less to engage in a task irrespective of its dangerous nature. His strength and convictions or what he believes will spur him into engaging in it until success is assured and achieved.

Nigeria as a nation needs men and women of courage, who will be courageous enough to finish any task committed into their hands. She needs courageous people who will speak the truth, stand for the truth and defend the truth not counting cost or seeking for self-aggrandizement. We need courageous people that will condemn the wrongs/ills in society and also proffer solutions to problems. Prof. Wole Soyinka, Prof. Chinua Achebe, etc are some courageous Nigerians who have spoken, stood and defended the truth. They are never afraid to point out flaws and loopholes in government policies and programmes and also condemn some ills and wrongs in the nation. We need more of these people. They are the nation’s watchdogs. Students should be courageous to complete their academic work, able to address other students during morning assembly or any other gathering. They should be able to report a senior student that involves himself/herself in an undisciplined act or behaviour.

Even in our local communities, we need courageous leaders who will exercise boldness in carrying out productive activities or projects that will be beneficial to all in the communities even in the face of opposition, threat or attack from their elders.

Types of Courage

Courage has the following types:

1. Physical Courage: This is the ability and willingness to use physical efforts to get things done. Examples are lifting of an object, fighting, wrestling, cutting of grass or cutting down a tree, etc.
2. Moral Courage: It is the ability to choose to do what is right irrespective of pressure to do otherwise. That is the ability to express what is right in spite of the circumstances surrounding it. People can exhibit or show moral courage, when they can oppose bad leadership, challenge injustice in society, save an accident victim, resist the temptation of prostituting to get fast money, resisting pressure to join yahoo-yahoo boys (419ners), being able to say the correct thing when called upon to do so in the school, at home, in the law court and so on. We need more of morally courageous people than people who have only physical courage.
3. Spiritual Courage: This is the courage to exhibit or follow one’s spiritual path or line according to its teachings and doctrines. It is also the possession of strong religious experiences and expressions in all religious matters that enable one to stand against such issues like social ills, decays, oppression of the poor and the needy, injustices, examination and electoral malpractices, evils or cultism, etc.

Attributes of Courageous People

The following are attributes of courageous persons in society:

1. Commitment: A courageous person is always committed to his work in order to achieve his/her goals within a time schedule.
2. Endurance: A courageous person has strong will-power to endure all difficulties and challenges in the course of his/her life.
3. Determination: Persons who are determined keep doing their work even when the task is difficult. The hope that they will succeed makes them work harder.
4. Diligence: This is the ability of being able to do a task carefully and thoroughly. A diligent person works hard and does not waste man-hour or damage equipment.
5. Boldness: This is the quality of not being afraid to do or say something which one deems right.
6. Bravery: This is the quality to show willingness and ability to do something which is difficult, dangerous and painful. One is not afraid to do that which is straightforward.
7. Steadfastness: A person of courage is steadfast in his/her dealings, i.e. he/she is firm and unchanging in his/her daily activities