What You Can’t
See He walked up, words flowing awkwardly
from his mouth as he tried to communicate with the giant that stood in front of
him.It was just his teacher, but his
shy personality would never let him ask for this much help.But he knew he needed it, so he got up, knees
shaking, and did his best to sound confident.
Doing your best to be courageous can
lead to wonderful accomplishments.Although
it isn’t a simple characteristic, there are many different variations, and not
all of them are proper.We can see real
courage through people like Atticus Finch, from Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird.He stands up for another person—even when it
is not his best option—because it is the right thing to do.According to The American Heritage Dictionary, “Courage is the state or quality
of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger with self-possession,
confidence, and resolution” (333).We
use these same qualities in our everyday lives, just not always in dangerous
situations.It can be seen when a
student walks up to a teacher, even when he or she is extremely shy.Courage is meant to be used this way. It is not attempting to fix, but really facing
your fears and overcoming them, even when it seems impossible.The definition didn’t say to face good things,
and it certainly didn’t say to be a coward.Courage is the bravery to do something special and make a difference,
even when the decision is not the most popular.
According to the Online Etymology
Dictionary, courage comes from the Latin root, cor—which means heart—and age,
which means the act of.This turns into
the act of heart, or using your heart for what is right.As it was first spelled corage, English
language later converted the spelling to word we know today.
Today,
we classify courage as an abstract noun.Although we confine it to such a specific category, there are many
different types of courage.However, the
main discussion lies within moral and physical courage.Moral courage deals with the mental side of
things, and means confronting your fears: shame, failure, pride.Essentially, it means dealing with things
that won’t necessarily kill you, but are very stressful.Courageous people aren’t just out there to
make a name for themselves, but because it is in their morals.The opposite of moral courage is physical
courage.Physical courage means to
literally face death, physical pain, hardship, and exhaustion.Courage is an extremely difficult trait to
master, but once you learn how, it pays in huge amounts.
In my journey to master courage, my
grandpa was a huge part of understanding its true meaning.My grandpa was a part of Vietnam, and he was
determined to help his country in one way or another.It wasn’t in his best interest to fight, but
he wanted the chance to make a difference.He found this opportunity clearing roads—with his best friend always
sitting next to him—so the unit could transport its cargo to the next target.Every day, he
entered enemy territory, not knowing what was ahead of him, and continuing on
for his country.Carrying this same
uneasiness with you day in and day out is not easy.Especially when you are the first person to
be shot at.But to really do something
special, my grandpa knew he had to face his fears.One day as he was plowing the makeshift road,
a hail of enemy fire pierced through his car.As he glanced over to his friend, he could see the bullet wounds
covering his body.He hadn’t moved in
time, and my grandpa watched his best friend die right next to him.Thankfully, my grandpa made it out of the
situation safely, but that memory would never leave him.Still, he went back out the next
day—alone—with the same determination he held before.Not everyone can go back to something that
killed their best friend, but my grandpa did.That’s what sets him apart from everyone else.For that, he will always be thought of on a
higher level than everyone else.He is
my symbol of courage.
My grandpa has always been a
courageous icon in my life, and we can see this same attitude in most literary
characters.Most, that is.There are the exceptional few who really don’t
fit the bill of being courageous.Odysseus
from Homer’s Odyssey, shows few of
the same traits in his quest to return home.Since leaving from the Trojan War, Odysseus has encountered many
challenges that include monsters, whirlpools, a giant Cyclops, gods, and
goddesses.Throughout his journey,
Odysseus is constantly avoiding his fears.We can see this specifically when he doesn’t tell the crew about the
upcoming death they will face in “Scylla and Charybdis”.In this section, Odysseus shows very
coward-like tendencies, and he begins by telling the crew, “You are to tie me
up, tight as a splint, erect along the mast, and if I shout and beg to be
untied, take more turns of the rope to muffle me” (728-731).Odysseus puts the crew in charge of him,
ultimately making them lead themselves. He is saying to tie me up, then tend to me as
I sit helplessly.If Odysseus was the
leader he claims, he would be courageous enough to fend off the sirens,
attending to his crew as they needed.After Odysseus and his men pass successfully threw the sirens, he
realizes he must act on the prophecy telling what will happen when they meet
Scylla.As he battles with himself to
make a decision, he finally fixates on keeping the prophecy a secret, saying, “But
as I sent them on toward Scylla, I told them nothing, as they could do nothing”
(790-791). Instead of telling the crew what they are up against, he keeps it to
himself to avoid turmoil and anger.In
this instance, Odysseus is not trying to make a difference in his crew’s lives
by possibly saving them, but rather making it easy on his own.In other words, Odysseus does what is best
for himself, and is very selfish and coward-like.If he really had courage, he would tell the
crew and face the challenge head on, trying to find an answer.I don’t see how Odysseus could be considered
courageous based on his actions.All he
did was make a ninny out of himself.
Although Odysseus doesn’t show many
desirable traits, there are many under the radar, inspiring people who do.Dr. K. Eric Drexler is an everyday hero who
used his courage to do something special and make a difference.Dr. Drexler is known as “the founding father
of nanotechnology” (E-Drexler) and is a very pronounced scientist.Nanotechnology deals with a very small level
of measure, using machinery one billionth the size of a millimeter (Guardian 1).Now as the concept grows, Drexler is able to
do more and more with his creation.But
that’s not necessarily what everyone else wants.The machinery requires precise manufacturing,
which in return requires lots of money (Guardian 1).Along with potential risks and angry
responses, Drexler’s idea does not come without conflict.After President Bush cut a large portion of his
funding, many people stopped believing in him (Regis 1).As Ed Regis, a pronouned scientific author,
says, “K. Eric Drexler was the godfather of nanotechnology. But the MIT
prodigy who dreamed up molecular machines was shoved aside by big science - and
now he's an industry outcast” (1).
But what sets him apart from others is his courage to deal with this
conflict.Not once has the doctor backed
down from critics, gave up out of worry, or succumbed to the negativity of many
other scientists.Because of this, Dr.
Drexler has “spurred widespread excitement about its potential” (E-Drexler),
and its popularity is starting to grow.With his technology, Drexler could have the ability take down a slew of
the world’s problems such as global warming, energy deficits, cancer, and
vastly improve surgeries.Not only has
he come up with the technology of the future, but Drexler has turned a wild
dream into a reality.Drexler captured
the imagination of our youth, and has now continued on to really help people
(Regis 1).Although it is mostly being
utilized by very wealthy individuals, nanotechnology has already shown signs of
reversing cancer, healing our immune systems (Regis 2).Everything Drexler planned is beginning to
come true, and he is way out in front of his predictions.None of this would be possible without
Drexler’s bravery to pursue his outlandish idea.With people like the president, military
leaders, his bosses, and informed Americans waiting to shut down his pursuit,
it wasn’t easy getting his idea accepted.A classic “bookworm” has taken advantage of his knowledge, pursued his
ideas, and done something with it.He is
the perfect example of an unfamiliar idol, changing the world for the better.
Changing the world isn’t done by
standing around, waiting for someone else to take on the challenge.Courage isn’t an easy trait to show, and
sometimes, it may not be seen at all.But the little things, like walking up to a teacher, move us forward to
something even more promising.Courage
doesn’t have to be on the front of a magazine.And often, it’s what you can’t see that really makes a difference in
life.
Works Cited
"Big
nanotech: an unexpected future." The Guardian . N.p., 01 Apr 2009.
Web. 5 Mar 2014.
"Biography."
K. Eric Drexler: longer bio. e.drexler.com, 01 Feb 2009. Web. 5 Mar
2014.