Lord of the Rings is a movie with a knee-high protagonist who is destined to fight against an infinitely powerful enemy. The hero is not fearless, not even as powerful as an average human being. In the beginning, his life was of no significance. Some unexpected events pull him towards an enormous burden of carrying the ring and destroying it. As he set forth he did not have any clue as to how he can achieve such a herculean task. But he knew it is right thing to do it and is determined to make the first stride ahead.
This character very well explains the virtue of courage. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is not the rashness of an indiscreet. Courage is not even bravery. Bravery is the willingness to take risks while courage is the ability to make the right decision and act accordingly when it is not easy. Courageous people have fear of death, fear of losing the close ones. They fear repentance. But they do not fear for silly things at unreasonable proportions. Courage is the midway.
Courageous people value their value system more than anything else in the world. They are at peace with themselves because they do not have any inconsistency within themselves. They have simple life.Their feet are firmly on the ground. They are mindful of consequences of their acts.They weigh options based on their value system. If they feel doing A is better than not doing A, then they do A. If saying No is better than saying Yes, then they will say No (they try not to hurt others while doing so). If it is right to say Sorry, they do not hesitate to say so.
Courageous people can genuinely laugh at themselves. They can forgive themselves for goofing up publicly because they know it is not a crime and that trying is the only way of improving. They know they are neither the smartest nor the weirdest.
The virtue of courage is the back bone of character and it is a per-requisite to inculcate any other virtue. It is one thing to know the right thing to do and it's another thing to actually do the right thing. Lack of courage leads to inaction and procrastination. Without courage we simply give lip service to our convictions.
So, how can we develop the virtue of courage at the early age?
Kids must be encouraged to fail in controlled environment. By being too protective, parents fail to teach their kids to be courageous. Encouraging independence and rewarding the effort rather than the end results will help students to strengthen their convictions.Fears are natural part of childhood. Let the students to talk about them and name them. Never ridicule them.Help them see a realistic view of what they are afraid of and then come up with a plan to overcome with that fear. Students must be grouped according to their fears and give them seminar projects on how to combat them.
False praises do not help the students to gain self confidence. Students with confidence gained through genuine accomplishment and resilience in the face of difficulty is likely to also have good self esteem and self-worth which are the most important factors in developing moral courage. Learning about others' culture and celebrating them is seen to be reducing the fear of unknown. Socializing with people who have least in common with you is a true test of courage. It is mandatory for the students to celebrate all kinds of festivals and to go on expeditions. Ability to express one's feelings and emotions will instantly develop self confidence. Students who have the exposure of debating and elocution are seen to have more self confidence and conviction. Helping others is a best way of of developing self-worth. Community services can be arranged periodically with NGOs and government offices.
How can we implement all these in our present school systems?!!
This character very well explains the virtue of courage. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is not the rashness of an indiscreet. Courage is not even bravery. Bravery is the willingness to take risks while courage is the ability to make the right decision and act accordingly when it is not easy. Courageous people have fear of death, fear of losing the close ones. They fear repentance. But they do not fear for silly things at unreasonable proportions. Courage is the midway.
Courageous people value their value system more than anything else in the world. They are at peace with themselves because they do not have any inconsistency within themselves. They have simple life.Their feet are firmly on the ground. They are mindful of consequences of their acts.They weigh options based on their value system. If they feel doing A is better than not doing A, then they do A. If saying No is better than saying Yes, then they will say No (they try not to hurt others while doing so). If it is right to say Sorry, they do not hesitate to say so.
Courageous people can genuinely laugh at themselves. They can forgive themselves for goofing up publicly because they know it is not a crime and that trying is the only way of improving. They know they are neither the smartest nor the weirdest.
The virtue of courage is the back bone of character and it is a per-requisite to inculcate any other virtue. It is one thing to know the right thing to do and it's another thing to actually do the right thing. Lack of courage leads to inaction and procrastination. Without courage we simply give lip service to our convictions.
So, how can we develop the virtue of courage at the early age?
Kids must be encouraged to fail in controlled environment. By being too protective, parents fail to teach their kids to be courageous. Encouraging independence and rewarding the effort rather than the end results will help students to strengthen their convictions.Fears are natural part of childhood. Let the students to talk about them and name them. Never ridicule them.Help them see a realistic view of what they are afraid of and then come up with a plan to overcome with that fear. Students must be grouped according to their fears and give them seminar projects on how to combat them.
False praises do not help the students to gain self confidence. Students with confidence gained through genuine accomplishment and resilience in the face of difficulty is likely to also have good self esteem and self-worth which are the most important factors in developing moral courage. Learning about others' culture and celebrating them is seen to be reducing the fear of unknown. Socializing with people who have least in common with you is a true test of courage. It is mandatory for the students to celebrate all kinds of festivals and to go on expeditions. Ability to express one's feelings and emotions will instantly develop self confidence. Students who have the exposure of debating and elocution are seen to have more self confidence and conviction. Helping others is a best way of of developing self-worth. Community services can be arranged periodically with NGOs and government offices.
How can we implement all these in our present school systems?!!
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