Courage is the Most Important Virtue of All

There is an old quote that says, "Courage is the most important virtue of all." At first, I read it with doubt. However, after few brief moments (and some brain cell activities), I was completely astonished. How true it is!

Everything we do involves some level of courage. If it sounds rather unconvincing, pay close attention to yourself. Start from early in the morning. When you wake up in bed, you might not realize that you actually perform the first courageous thing in the day.

Everything that involves making a decision, no matter how tiny and overlooked, needs courage. The level of courage to participate in a free East Timor demonstration is higher than the courage to attend your first day in school, of course. But every "little"; one is a victory in itself. And no victory should pass without being acknowledged and appreciated.

Many people sleep all the time, even when they are awake. They fantasize the unattainable and fool around with what they already have. These people don't have the courage to wake up in the morning and face the days ahead. Instead, they snuggle inside the deepest part of their soul seeking consolation (that might or might never come) and feel sorry about themselves.

Courageous people wake up in the morning, ready to race with time and make the most of the day. It is true that we often don't feel optimistic of what's going to happen in school or in the afternoon meeting with Mr. VP. But we face it anyway. A person has got to do what a person has got to do; might sound too cliché, but it's true. And it is a very simple time-tested affirmation to instantly boost the courage to live and to simply be.

It is normal, however, to temporarily lose that sense of courage. Every time we encounter an unfamiliar territory, we might feel depressed. The only difference, however, that distinguishes a courageous person from the rest of his or her peers is "how long" the depressed period lasts. The more courageous a person is, the less likely that he or she is going to experience a long-term depressed mood.

(Note: Long-term depression can lead to clinical depression and suicide. According to American Mental Health Association, the symptoms are: persistent sad; anxious or "empty" mood, sleeping too much or too little, reduced or increased appetite and weight loss, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, irritability; restlessness, persistent physical symptoms that don't respond to treatment, difficulty concentrating; remembering or making decisions, fatigue or loss of energy, feeling guilty; hopeless or worthless, and thoughts of deaths or suicide.)

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