Virtue and Courage Essay Example for Free

Virtue and Courage Essay What is the first thing that pops up in your mind when you hear this word? Is it a person jumping down a building, someone confronting his enemies, voicing out his opinions or nothing at all? For me, I think of a noble action when I hear this word. Courage was originally a Latin word, â€Å"coraticum†. The root â€Å"cor† means heart and it was added to the suffix, â€Å"age† to fit the English language. Literally, courage means â€Å"an action that comes from the heart†. Courage can be split into two, physical courage and moral courage. â€Å"Physical courage† is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, or threat of death while â€Å"moral courage† is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame or discouragement. The main interpretation of the usage of this word is â€Å"to describe people who have a quality of mind that allows them to face danger without fear†. For many people, risking or sacrificing one’s life for others is the highest example of courage. However, many of us experience courage in everyday life without even realising it. Certain devoted actions made by ordinary people in ordinary situations can be courageous. Courage can be living with a handicapped person, moving on with life after the death of a loved one, or even working hard to pay your monthly bills. In Ancient times, courage was considered to be one of the four essential virtues in life: wisdom, courage, temperance and justice. Courage is one of the most important qualities in a man because without it, he will not be able to show his other virtues. You cannot buy courage or get it from someone else. You can only be inspired by the examples of other people. All in all, courage is not just a gained state of mind as a result of meritorious education, it is a calling of a soul. An integral part of a man’s personality. So whether it is dying for another person or fighting for something good, we should all practise it.