Hello friend(I hope I am allowed to call you that),
It is a new month and I know you have gotten a lot of new month messages/greetings from lots of people which is not in itself a bad thing but I didn’t want to add mine because I needed your full attention and loyalty. I am a jealous writer who doesn’t like to share his time with other writers(don’t look at me like that please). Anyways, so you don’t come after my head for not wishing you a happy new month, I just did.
This month we will be looking at COURAGE.
If I were to ask you to define courage, you’d probably say things like ‘bravery, being strong in the face of pain or grief, heroic acts etc’ but is that or do those words really define courage?
Courage is a huge theme and word that we really need to dig deep into its etymology(Etymology (/ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/) is the study of the history of words. By extension, the etymology of a word means its origin and development throughout history ) as this would help us understand it’s origin and check if we have been using it in the way we should be using it.
The Root of COURAGE
The root of the word courage is cor – the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant “To speak one's mind by telling all one's heart.” Over time, this definition has changed, and today, we typically associate courage with heroic and brave deeds . The Cambridge dictionary defines it as the “ability to control your fear in a dangerous or difficult situation”. The Oxford dictionary as the “ability to do something that frightens one; bravery or strength in the face of pain or grief”.
When I started researching online to get what courage really meant, I came across Brené Brown’s quote where she said : “Courage is a heart word. The root of the word courage is cor – the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant “To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.” Over time, this definition has changed, and today, we typically associate courage with heroic and brave deeds. But in my opinion, this definition fails to recognize the inner strength and level of commitment required for us to actually speak honestly and openly about who we are and about our experiences – good and bad. Speaking from our hearts is what I think of as ordinary courage.”
Have you ever thought this was the true meaning of courage? Did it ever occur to you that we have over centuries changed the real meaning of what courage is just to suit us per time? The word itself was created to express the communication of the heart, so it seems that the root of courage is within our hearts. This means we all can be courageous as it takes nothing special except to listen to your heart and speak it.
Has this new finding stirred up anything within you? Do you disagree with this definition? Have you ever been in the position of not agreeing with something but you did not communicate it?
It takes courage to speak our truth.
Please feel free to write back to me if you have a thought or opinion.
Till I come your way again, Show Courage