Courage takes many forms in life.
Sometimes it is emergency responders running toward disaster to provide help. Think of the New York fireman who climbed the stairs of the World Trade Center knowing full well the dangers.
Emotional courage can be as simple as the ability to say “I’m sorry” when your words hurt another person, often in private.
In a public contexts it is someone raising their voice to object. by openly standing against the current powers that be. Think of protestors ushered our of a congressional hearing.
Moral courage is needed when challenging prevailing social or economic inequities that have been norms for generations. Or to stand up to those in authority who misuse or abuse their power.
in our life span there will be times to “stand up and do the right thing” when confronted by situations that call for acts of individual bravery.
It is even harder when our immediate self-interest is not in jeopardy, We always have the option to watch, “play it safe.”
Every society, every organization, every community needs individuals who. when much is at stake, have the courage to do what is right not what is expedient. In other words, to let someone else take care of it. Not my job.
An Example
Below is a post with a two minute video from an Ukrainian drone monitoring an attempted evacuation of two soldiers wounded in an assault.
They were being carried by an unmanned vehicle which was stopped, hit by a Russian drone. Note they are strapped in. Unable to move or help themselves.
Suddenly a unarmored normal pickup truck speeds to the scene and backs up on the one lane road to the two soldiers. The driver jumps out, lifts and pushes both wounded men into the back of the pickup. He wears no helmet or body armor.
Watch full screen to see close up as he lifts both and push them into the open truck bed.
He speeds away, serves around a disabled vehicle on the road and then reaches to safety entering a part of the road covered with netting.
The action is in broad daylight and would be seen by Russian enemy drones.
He completes this entire mission in about two minutes
The driver is the battalion’s commander.
Most of us will never have such a life and death choice. This example reminds us that individuals can do extraordinary acts for others’ well being. Not because of position, power or reward, but because that is who we can be when presented with circumstances testing what we truly believe.
We all have the potential to do the right thing. It doesn’t take a battlefield evacuation to show courage. Standing against the market’s status quo was and for some still today, the motivation for working or leading a credit union.
Click on the link, read the intro, then watch the video. This is an action which shows the potential in each of us-when we feel called to stand up for the common good or welfare of others.